THREE suspected shoplifters were found with dozens of bottles of champagne and other items after police tracked them down within half an hour of leaving a shopping centre.

Police received a call from the McArthurGlen designer outlet, near the A64 on the outskirts of York, at 7.15pm on Tuesday, April 10, to report the theft of sunglasses along with details of the vehicle the suspects were seen to leave in.

Officers tracked the vehicle’s movements using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology and found the vehicle travelling north along the A19 towards Thirsk.

At around 7.46pm, Roads Policing Officers intercepted the car and brought it to a stop on the A19 just outside Thirsk.

On searching the vehicle, officers found a substantial amount of other goods which they suspect have also been stolen from various shops in York. These have been seized and include two crates of champagne, 29 separate bottles of champagne, nine bottles of gin, two bottles of whisky, 28 packs of meat and a bag of clothing.

The three occupants of the vehicle, two men aged 44 and a woman aged 38 from Sunderland, were arrested on suspicion of theft from a shop and remain in police custody for questioning.