Police patrols in Sittingbourne had a "pleasant surprise" left on their car after one of their officers was attacked.

After returning from a busy night shift, the officers found a couple of chocolate bars and a note on their windscreen.

It read: "Thank you for all you do, you're much appreciated."

The kind gesture came after an officer was assaulted in the Crown Quay Lane area of Sittingbourne yesterday morning.

A police helicopter was seen circling above the town for more than an hour, from about 9.30am, searching for the assault suspect.

The force said the officer, who was responding to a report of a disturbance at a private address, was not seriously injured but the suspect had fled.

This morning, Kent Police Swale tweeted about the 'Thank You' message.

It said: "#LPT3 finishing a very busy night shift, lots of missing persons and calls across the district.

"However after a couple of recent assaults on police also – a pleasant surprise to see this left on one of our patrol cars in #Sittingbourne. #ThankYou."

To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here

Read more: All the latest news from Sittingbourne