A man who was arrested on suspicion of theft after Evri parcels were reported stolen has been released without charge.

Huge sackfuls of deliveries were found discarded in a wooded area at the end of Beacon Road in Luton, Chatham, on December 4.

The discovery was made by a local resident while out walking near Ash Tree Lane.

Evri – formerly named Hermes – issued an apology to affected customers and said it had launched an investigation and recovered the items.

Police said as part of their investigation, they had arrested a man on suspicion of theft in connection with parcels missing from a depot in Aylesford.

The theft was reported to have taken place between November 28 and December 5.

The suspect, from Chatham, was arrested in December and had been released on bail until Monday, March 6, which was later extended until Friday, March 10.

He has now been released without charge.

The courier company only recently opened its huge new distribution depot nearby in Panattoni Park, Aylesford, near Maidstone, in October.

The depot can handle more than 220,000 parcels each day - more than double as many as its previous site a few miles away in Quarry Wood.