A man is due in court over the suspected theft of several pairs of sunglasses worth more than £5.3k from Bluewater.

The suspect was detained at the Greenhithe-based shopping centre car park after police received reports of a theft from John Lewis.

Brian McAllister, 45, was later charged with two counts of theft and was remanded in custody to appear at Medway Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, September 11.

He was also charged with a theft from a shop in Chelmsford, Essex on 20 May.

On the same day, shoplifting suspects were arrested by officers fighting retail crime in other parts of north Kent.

Police went on to receive reports that confectionary valued at more than £60 had been stolen from a store in Thames Way, Gravesend.

Neighbourhood constables completed enquiries into the incident, including the examination of CCTV footage, and a man was taken into custody later the same day.

Rene Suha, 31, of Snelling Avenue, Gravesend, was charged with theft and is due to appear at Medway Magistrates’ court on Friday, October 25.

As well as this, local officers arrested a woman after crates of beer were allegedly stolen on two separate occasions from the Co-op in Dene Holm Road, Northfleet.

Vivian Torak, 31, of no fixed address, was charged by investigators with two counts of theft with a total value of £50.

She was conditionally bailed to a hearing at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, October 1.