A HAUL of suspected stolen clothing and goods worth more than £5,000 has been recovered by police.

Officers from the Swindon Community Tasking Team spotted a suspicious vehicle in Cheney Manor Road yesterday while out on patrol at at around 4.15pm.

The vehicle attempted to drive away from they stopped it and detained three people. Two of the people detained had been seen throwing shopping bags over garden walls shortly before they were stopped.

Officers recovered the bags, which had designer clothing worth more than more than £2,000, with security tags and prices still attached, inside.

Police arrested two men, aged 39 and 42, from Swindon, and a woman aged 31 from Amesbury, on suspicion of theft and took them into custody at Gablecross police station for questioning.

Following their arrest, officers conducted a search at an address in Swindon as part of their enquiries and found more suspected stolen goods which is believed to be worth more than £3,000.

The three people arrested remain in custody this morning while the police continue their investigation.

Detective Sergeant Alex Spargo, of the Community Tasking Team, said “This was a brilliant spot by the officers, trusting their instinct that something wasn’t right and over the course of the shift, recovering £5,000 worth of suspected stolen items.

“This type of crime affects local businesses greatly during austerity and we are pleased that we will be able to return the majority of items back to the stores.

"I’d urge the public to always report something that looks suspicious or out of place either via 999 if the crime is in progress, 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.”