Two men from Herts arrested for stealing a digger
It was stolen from Essex on Friday night
Two men from Hertfordshire have been arrested after officers recovered a stolen digger within 20 minutes of it being taken.
It was stolen shortly after 7.50pm Friday night from Torkildsen Way, in Harlow, Essex.
A number of men were reported to be involved, all wearing high-visibility jackets.
Police said they located a low-loader carrying the digger and those inside stopped it on the London-bound A10 and attempted to run.
Two men, aged 49 and 43 and both from Hertfordshire, were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle. The 43-year-old is also being questioned on suspicion of driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified.
Both remain in custody.
Detective chief inspector Alan Blakesley said: “The speed at which officers reacted to this reporting coming into us from a very vigilant member of the public should not be underestimated.
“I would like to thank the person who bravely alerted us to this incident, which ensured the officers attending it had all the information they required and in a very short time, they assessed the options available to them, with the possibility of the vehicle failing to stop or people becoming injured.
“Thankfully, neither came close to taking place and the incident was brought to very safe conclusion, very quickly.”