DRAMATIC footage has emerged of a police operation to stop a stolen lorry speeding through Bradford residential streets.

Eyewitness Stephen Murray, of Bierley, who was visiting his girlfriend in Leaventhorpe Road, Fairweather Green, on Tuesday evening, caught the action on his mobile phone.

A flatbed lorry was being pursued by two police cars and shadowed by the police helicopter when an officer deployed a Stinger.

Mr Murray said an officer went to the boot of his vehicle and rolled out the Stinger to puncture the lorry’s tyres.

He said the speeding truck looked like a recovery vehicle.

“A couple of cop cars were chasing after it,” he said.

His video shows the officer rolling out the Stinger before retreating behind a hedge as the police sirens get nearer.

The lorry runs over the Stinger and the officer quickly pulls it out of the way to let the two pursuing police cars, one of them unmarked, to continue their chase of the stolen lorry.

The police helicopter can be heard overhead during the deployment of the spiked metal apparatus.

A police spokesperson said that a man was arrested on Tuesday for dangerous driving and theft of a vehicle following the pursuit.

Police had been called to reports of a suspicious vehicle just before 8.30pm and began pursuit of the flatbed lorry.

The lorry failed to stop, leading to a police helicopter being deployed, before the vehicle ran over the police Stinger.

The pursuit came to an end on Thornton Road, when the 37-year-old driver, who is from Morley, was arrested.

A spokesperson from West Yorkshire Police said: “Police were called at around 20:25 on 4 August to reports of a suspicious vehicle driving in Bradford.

“Officers discovered the vehicle was stolen and after a short pursuit and assistance from the police helicopter, the flat bed lorry was stopped by police using a stinger after the vehicle failed to stop.

“The lorry was stopped on Thornton Road and a 37-year-old man from Morley was arrested at the scene for dangerous driving and theft of a vehicle.

“Enquiries are ongoing.

“Anyone with any information is asked to contact the police via 101, quoting crime reference number 13200381222.

"Information can also be passed to Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”