Three men have been arrested after 40 bottles of suspected stolen spirits and Champagne worth more than £2,000 were found in their hire car.

The trio – aged 22, 37, and 57 – are believed to have stolen the items, some found in Percy Pig bags, from a shop in Maidstone on Wednesday (September 27).

Their hire car, a grey Skoda, was stopped by officers on the M20 heading towards the Dartford Crossing.

It had initially been seen parked near a Tesco supermarket in Grove Green, Weavering, at lunchtime when a retired officer saw the men acting suspiciously.

It led to the car being stopped and searched by police at the Swanley Interchange where they discovered the haul of booze.

All three men, who live in Ilford and Dagenham in Essex, were arrested on suspicion of theft and taken into custody.

They were later bailed with conditions, pending the outcome of further inquiries.

They must report back to a police station on December 20.

Investigators are now looking into whether the items were stolen from multiple shops.

Kent Police Tactical Operations later tweeted an image of the bottles – which included Veuve Clicquot and Moet Champagnes and Jack Daniels – revealing news of the arrests.