A STOLEN van carrying thousands of pounds worth of equipment was recovered after 'Big Brother'-style technology was used to foil the thieves.

The driver of the £15,000 Toyota Hi-Lux was assaulted by two youths who then made off with the van and its contents - £10,000-worth of specialist drilling equipment belonging to JB Site Investigations.

But the thieves were unaware police were monitoring their high-speed getaway along a 13-mile stretch between Ripon and Otley, West Yorkshire. Details of the vehicle's location were communicated by the van's in-car telematics system, enabling police to set up roadblocks and force the vehicle off the road.

JB Site Investigations, which specialises in site inspection for land developers, installed Minorplanet's Vehicle Management Information tracking system in its fleet of 26 vans in July after a spate of thefts.