Gardaí investigate Monaghan lorry hijacking

Gardaí in Co Monaghan are investigating the hi-jacking of two vehicles in the Tyholland area in the early hours of this morning.

A cargo lorry was stopped along a road in the area at around 4.15am by a man wearing a fluorescent jacket.

A milk delivery van subsequently pulled up behind the lorry and both drivers were told they had to wait as a traffic accident was being cleared on the road ahead.

Three men wearing balaclavas then emerged from the roadside and forced the two drivers from the vehicles before tying them up in a vacant house nearby.

The gang escaped with the lorry, which contained parcels that had been collected from a depot in Athlone.

The captive men later freed themselves and raised the alarm at around 5.20am.