M1 drivers get best seats in the house for dramatic police chase between Northampton and Milton Keynes

Drivers on the M1 got a first-hand view of a dramatic police chase which halted a suspect vehicle on Thursday lunchtime.

Officers from Northamptonshire Police's Armed Response Vehicle and Road Crime teams finally stopped the fleeing white Range Rover in lane three using blocking tactics between Northampton and Milton Keynes just before 2pm.

The vehicle was hired from a company in Germany but officers were alerted to reports that a tracking device had been tampered and so it was stopped about a mile before Newport Pagnell services.

But the incident — which was initially reported as a broken down vehicle — caused huge queues for drivers heading south between Northampton and Milton Keynes.

Highways England issued a warning of 40-minute delays from Junction 15 towards Newport Pagnell as police had to cone off two lanes to deal with the incident.

The agency added that it could take up to two hours for the queues to clear and are advising drivers heading towards Milton Keynes to seek alternative routes where possible.

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