A helicopter was involved in a police chase in Telford, Shropshire, linked to a crackdown on petrol thefts in the town.

Sniffer dogs were also dispatched after two men drove from a forecourt with cans of stolen fuel.

The police pursuit began after the men drove away from Sainsbury’s petrol station at the Telford Forge Retail Park in the direction of Wellington on the evening of Monday August 5.

The car was traced to the Bracken Grove area where it was dumped and the pair tried to flee on foot. A 32-year-old man was arrested nearby but police failed to locate the other man.

Residents reported seeing a helicopter, the Central Counties Air Support Unit, flying overhead, while dogs were used to carry out searches on the ground.

Chris Ammonds, of West Mercia Police, said: “When petrol thefts are reported to us we will do our utmost to trace these individuals and bring them to justice.”