Road works container broken into and suspect arrested thanks to eagle-eyed member of the public in Quendon

Police were alerted to a roadside theft when a member of the public spotted sparks coming from a works site in Quendon.

Officers from Saffron Walden arrived at the scene minutes after the call to discover a container had been broken into shortly after 7pm on Tuesday (March 4).

Utility firm Cadent is currently replacing gas mains along the route and the storage unit on the B1383 Cambridge Road in Quendon had been locked up for the night.

Essex Police said: “Officers arrived within minutes and located a 20ft container used to store tools had been broken into.

“After a brief search a suspect was located nearby and arrested on suspicion of theft, going equipped to steal and possession of cannabis.”