Two men have been arrested after an alleged distraction theft of an expensive watch at a North East venue last weekend.

Northumbria Police confirmed two men, aged 25 and 18, were arrested following an alleged theft incident in the early hours of Sunday (June 18) at a venue on Dean Street in Newcastle city centre.

They said a man reported he had been approached by two men, and after dancing near each other, his watch which belonged to his father and was worth £10,000 was missing.

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He alerted police and officers began searching to locate those responsible, and after reviewing CCTV footage, found they had left the venue and travelled to the Quayside area of the city.

Two men matching the description of the offenders were located and arrested on suspicion of theft, while one was found to be in possession of a quantity of cannabis.

Additionally, officers found one of the suspects is wanted for a suspected robbery in the Chillingham Road area of the city, in which a victim’s necklace was stolen from their neck.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: "Theft is an invasive crime which can have serious detrimental effect on the lives of victims.

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"Opportunists will seek to maximise situations where people can be caught off their guard or would feel more trusting, so our advice to the public is to always be wary, keep valuables secure and report any suspicious behaviour should you witness it.

"We are committed to ensuring those responsible for opportunist crimes such as this are swiftly brought to justice, and an experienced team of officers are on hand to always follow up any lines of enquiry."

Anyone with information regarding the stolen watch should use the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of Northumbria Police's website or call 101, quoting NP-20230618-0023.