Quick-thinking police seized fuel thought to have been drained from a lorry after tailing a suspicious-looking vehicle along a main road.

Two men, aged 29 and 19, were arrested after officers followed the suspects on the A2 near Canterbury in the early hours of this morning.

The suspected thieves were pulled over by police near Shepherdswell at about 1.45am.

When their vehicle was searched, the officers found a large quantity of fuel, canisters and hosepipes, which were seized as a part of the investigation.

Later that night, just after 2am, police received a report that a lorry parked in an A2 layby near Barham had been the victim of the theft of a large amount of diesel.

A police spokesman said: “Enquiries are under way to establish whether the fuel recovered is that which was reported stolen.”