Romanian gangs are climbing out of cars at 50mph on British roads to steal from the back of lorries using a dangerous manoeuvre known as the 'Romanian Rollover', it was revealed today.

Police said today Romania's EU membership has allowed 'feudal' criminal syndicates to freely cross Europe carrying out these audacious crimes, making them up to £30,000 per day.

Dramatic footage of one theft reveals how criminals drive to a lorry's rear bumper, positioning themselves so close that its driver would be unable to see them in his mirrors.

A team then climb out and slide down the windscreen and on to the bonnet using a home made hatch cut in to the roof of their vehicle.

Daring: This is a gang carrying out a so-called 'Romanian rollover', shown here in a Romanian police film climbing out on the the roof and down on to the bonnet

Theft: The criminal is shown here opening the back door of the lorry before the goods are transferred back to the vehicle using a human chain

One breaks into the back of the lorry using a crowbar or knife and the goods are transferred back to the vehicle using a human chain before the gang climbs back inside.

Often a decoy car is sent in front of the lorry to control its speed as the theft takes place.

Superintendent Paul Keasey of West Midlands Police, who is leading a nationwide crackdown on road crime told The Times: 'Romanian criminals are working in gangs capable of stealing £30,000 of goods in a day.

'That's the sort of thing you didn't have to tackle maybe ten years ago. We have had that influx of people coming into the UK.

'Their propensity to commit crimes where the risk appears to me to outweigh the gain has most surprised me. I mean, would you climb on to the front of a moving vehicle for as little as £150?'.

Romanians have the highest per capita population in British jails of any foreign nationality, with 674 of the 128,000-strong population in jail or on remand.

Last year a gang of 11 men were jailed for two years each after admitting a 'Romanian Rollover' theft on the M6 in Staffordshire.

DIY: This is a van seized by police in Britain last year, where a gang cut their own hole the roof to start stealing from lorries

Exit: A hatch is then installed to allow the gangsters in and out of the vehicle, which is hidden from other motorists unless they can see on to the roof

Space: Adapting a van like this one allows the thieves to store large, high value items sent make using a human chain

Their Citroen Relay was followed by police at it travelled north on the M6 through Birmingham and was eventually stopped at Keele Services in Staffordshire. The men were arrested by Central Motorway Police officers.

The gang’s vehicle was found to have a home-made lockable hatch in its roof and on board were several power tools.

The men were charged were Romanians Ion Dumitru, 22; Marius Caldararu, 37; Ionel Ursaru, 38; Ionita Caldararu, 33; Alin Vaduva, 34; Corado Dumitrascu, 22; Nicolae Constantin, 36; Craisor Mitrache, 34; Felix Macelaru, 32; Ionut Baboi, 27, and Micera Nicusor, 28.

The convictions follows a dedicated operation carried – called Operation Trivium – tackling foreign national offenders using the region’s roads, which still continues.