Why did the driver of this specialist van decide to speed away from the police?

The newish Ford Transit Tipper was abandoned in Upperthong Lane, near Holmfirth at around 3pm on Wednesday, following a blue-light chase.

Eyewitnesses reported the van being followed down the picturesque Holme Valley lane before it stopped and the driver legged it leaving a stunned passenger.

A witness said: “A police car chase ended in a narrow part of Upperthong Lane.

“The driver legged it leaving a stunned passenger.”’

The distinctive vehicle is a lesser seen variant of the ubiquitous Ford Transit van with a tipping function and the unusual addition of a cage.

It’s worth about £20,000 so whoever owns this vehicle isn’t going to be very happy about what’s happened to it.