Delivery company Evri has launched an internal investigation after one of its drivers was allegedly spotted dumping parcels down a country lane.

Witnesses say they saw a driver abandon a large bag in Bon Fleur Lane, near Coxheath, Maidstone, at around 4.30pm on Tuesday (Jan 3).

After taking a closer look, they saw some of the boxes had been opened.

They took photos of the dumped parcels and the vehicle's registration plate and sent them to Evri. They also called the police.

Both police and Evri went to check the road for dumped packages.

An Evri spokesman said: "Our local team has been to the location and found no sign of any undelivered parcels.

"There was an empty box but the barcode shows that the item was delivered in November – the rest was household waste.

"We are investigating further and thank the witnesses for drawing this to our attention."

A police spokesman said: "There was a call made to us at around 5.45pm on January 3 expressing concern that a delivery driver had left some parcels unattended in the Bon Fleur Lane area of Linton.

"We sent patrol to check the area and there were no abandoned parcels found.

"The caller was advised to contact the parcel company with any concerns. There were no criminal offences identified."

This comes after a separate matter concerning a man from Chatham who was arrested on December 13 on suspicion of theft after parcels were reported stolen from one of Evri's delivery depots in Aylesford.

A mountain of undelivered parcels were found stacked in a wooded area at the end of Beacon Road in Luton, Chatham.

The parcels were taken between November 28 and December 5.

The company, previously known as Hermes, issued an apology after being alerted to the incident.

It assured any customers affected would be issued with a refund.

The man was released on bail until March 6.