Two men have been released on conditional bail after their arrest in Bourne, Lincolnshire, on suspicion of conspiring to steal fuel from petrol stations.

The men were arrested after officers on patrol noticed a suspicious car on May 19 on the A16 in Spalding.

They suspected it might have been used in a rash of drive-off incidents in the preceding days where fuel was not paid for in Stamford, Market Deeping, Bourne, Whaplode, Spalding and the Cambridge area.

The vehicle – a grey Fiesta – failed-to-stop for officers when requested, eventually coming to a stop in Bourne, where two men, aged 38 and 32, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal.

Several tanks of diesel fuel were discovered in the back of the vehicle. Following questioning and release on conditional bail, one of the men was immediately taken to a police station in Cambridgeshire to be questioned in relation to similar offences.

Anyone with further information on the fuel thefts from petrol stations in Stamford, Market Deeping and Bourne can call Stamford Police on 101 quoting incident 322 of May 19.