A man has been charged in connection with a series of incidents including the theft of a BMW car in Greenhithe.

Police were called in the early hours of December 31 to a report of a burglary at Maritime Close in Greenhithe, in which house keys, garage keys, a handbag and car keys were believed to have been missing.

A BMW car was also reported to have been taken.

Later that morning, officers also received reports of a driver making off without payment with £77 worth of diesel fuel from Esso at Winstone Service Station in Princes Road, Dartford.

On January 3, officers traced the vehicle, which had suffered damage in a suspected crash, to Belvedere in South East London.

Wayne Cousins, 31 of Morvale Close in Belvedere, was charged with burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, theft from a motor vehicle, making off without payment, driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence, using a motor vehicle without insurance and possession of cannabis.

He appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court on Saturday where he was remanded in custody to a date yet to be confirmed.