The pong arm of the law! Crooks smash bottle of aftershave to put police dog off their scent after high speed car chase... but he still manages to catch them

Ben Westwood, 33, and Gregory Simpson, 26, had driven at 180mph for 65 miles to evade police in the fastest pursuit ever seen in Britain
Sniffer dog Axel and handler PC Gez Cotter sent to find them in block of flats near Wolverhampton
Criminals smashed a bottle of aftershave on the stairs to cover their tracks
Axel, who has one of Britain's best senses of smell, careered up two floors and found them cowering under a bed
The pair were later jailed for a total of 13 years for £50,000 of thefts

By MARTIN ROBINSON

PUBLISHED: 04:31 EST, 18 September 2012 | UPDATED: 05:24 EST, 18 September 2012

A canny police sniffer dog refused to be thrown off the scent by two crooks after they smashed a bottle of aftershave to distract him following the fastest car chase ever seen in Britain.

Brave Axel and his handler PC Gez Cotter tracked down criminals Ben Westwood, 33, and Gregory Simpson, 26, who had led police on a dangerous 180mph 65-mile pursuit on the M6 near Wolverhampton.

The thieves had carried out 15 smash-and-grab raids across the Midlands in their one of a kind Audi with a Lamborghini engine and race car brakes, stealing £50,000 of cigarettes, cash and jewellery.

Super sniffer: Axel refused to give the chase to find Ben Westwood and Gregory Simpson who smashed a bottle of aftershave in a failed attempt to hide from the star dog

Super sniffer: Axel refused to give up the chase to find Ben Westwood and Gregory Simpson who smashed a bottle of aftershave in a failed attempt to hide from the star dog

Axel and PC Cotter were called on to find Westwood and Simpson after they dumped the £85,000 car outside a block of flats in the town of Wednesfield.

As the crime fighting pair entered the foyer PC Cotter, 43, quickly noticed the stench of a bottle of aftershave Westwood and Simpson had smashed at the bottom of the stairs to cover their scent.

More...

But for super-nosed Axel it was no problem as he quickly led his handler up two flights of stairs and into the flat where the two crooks were found cowering under a bed.

Chase: Ben Westwood, left, and Gregory Simpson, right, were jailed for a total of 13 years thanks to Axel's incredible sense of smell

Good friends: PC Cotter has spoken with pride about Axel and his determination to catch criminals whatever the circumstances

The pair was caught on January 13 after police officers spotted him and his gang attempting to break open a cash machine at a Murco petrol station in Penn, West Midlands.

Three of the gang were arrested at the scene but Westwood and Simpson managed to flee in the car.

When officers seized the car, which had been resprayed black and disguised with a false plate, they discovered it had clocked up 1,500 miles since it was stolen.

Dynamic duo: PC Cotter and Axel arrived at the flats to the stench of aftershave on the stairs, but the dog raced up and found the crooks cowering under a bed

Thanks to Axel and PC Cotter both Westwood and Simpson were arrested and later jailed for a combined total of 13 years for a spate of robberies across the UK.

Team: Axel and PC Cotter were called to find Westwood and Simpson after they dumped the £85,000 super-car outside a block of flats

Team: Axel and PC Cotter were called to find Westwood and Simpson after they dumped a £85,000 super-car outside a block of flats

PC Cotter says Axel’s nose is now well-known across Britain for being pretty unique among police dogs.He has worked with the dog for two years, and said Axel was so good he was called upon nationally to track down high-risk missing persons.

'When we got into the public foyer of the flats I