Three suspected thieves were arrested by the police half an hour after an incident at a Wiltshire farm.

Officers received a call at around 12.15pm on Monday reporting the theft of at least three batteries from a barn near Devizes.

A van was then stopped 30 minutes later on the A361 heading towards Marlborough.

The trio arrested included two men aged in their 40s from Swindon and one in his 50s from Northampton.

Around 15 batteries as well as other items believed to be stolen were found in the van, which was subsequently seized.

The men were then arrested and taken to Gablecross custody. They have since been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

PS Chloe Jenkins of the Devizes Community Policing Team said: “We are aware of the concern that rural crime is causing in communities at present, and we are determined to clamp down on it.

“Yesterday we received a report of a theft from a rural farm and within an hour we had arrested three people and located the stolen items.

“We will always take reports of rural crime seriously.”