Two men have been arrested after a delivery of more than £450,000 of solar panels disappeared.

Earlier this month, a foreign company specialising in the sale of solar panels reported a large shipment missing in Kent.

The goods, which are said to have been purchased by a company in the UK, were not delivered to their intended destination.

Instead, the lorries containing the solar panels were allegedly redirected to an industrial unit in Ashford and have since disappeared without being paid for.

Detectives from the Volume Fraud Team at Kent Police are investigating the circumstances.

As part of their ongoing enquiries, two men were arrested at a business unit in Ashford's Henwood Industrial Estate last Wednesday.

A 50-year-old man from Essex and a 23-year-old man from Havering were later detained on suspicion of conspiracy to steal.

They have since been released on police bail until Thursday, April 15.

Detective Sergeant Marc Cananur said: "We are still investigating the circumstances of this incident but it would be a good time to remind businesses about distribution fraud.

"This is where scammers can pose as being from a well-known company or business to ensure their order for a product looks authentic.

"This means that companies, often from overseas, believe they are delivering goods to legitimate customers who intend to pay within 30 days following an invoice, something which is common practice within the industry.

"Instead the goods get redirected and are never paid for, leaving unsuspecting businesses severely out of pocket.

"This doesn’t just happen to overseas businesses, anyone can become the victim of a scam so always check the delivery address, phone number and email domain name is genuine if someone has placed an order with you.

"Look the company up online and ask for upfront payment, especially on first-time orders."

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