Van stolen - twice in one day

Thieves stole a van twice within hours from two locations in south Shropshire, police said today.

The silver Renault panel van was first pinched from Craven Arms at about 11.30am on Friday.

Its owner reported the theft to police, who alerted neighbouring forces.

Richard Ewels, police spokesman, said: "We then received another call from the vehicle's owner saying he had met someone at lunchtime who had spotted the van in the car park of a village church in south Shropshire.

"The owner said all his tools appeared to be untouched and the only things missing were two mobile phones and the vehicle's key.

"He locked up using the spare key so the van could be later recovered for forensic examination. However, when the police attended, it was missing. In the intervening period, the thief had obviously returned with the key and made off."

Officers in Shropshire again circulated details of the stolen vehicle and shortly before 11.30pm officers from the Central Motorway Police Group said they had stopped the van on the M5 in Gloucestershire.

They said they had arrested a 50-year-old man from Bristol on suspicion of vehicle theft and various other offences.

Mr Ewels added: "It's not often a vehicle is stolen twice within a few hours."