A man has been arrested after he is alleged to have stolen items from a Lidl earlier today (July 18).

The suspected thief was caught out after police officers on a drugs raid saw the man running away from the supermarket on Newport Road in Middlesbrough. 

After pursuing him on foot, the specialist officers were able to catch up with the man and arrest him. 

Read more: Longedge Lane: Man tragically dies in Consett car collision

He was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting and remains in police custody at this time. 

Despite the seriousness of the offence, Cleveland Police couldn't resist a cheeky joke at the man's expense, posting the incident on social media and making a pun about Lidl. 

Posting to its social media page, the police force said: "He should have had a ‘Lidl’ bit more sense.

"A man has been arrested after officers carrying out a warrant drove past a suspect running away from Lidl on Newport Road. They ran after the man, detaining him on suspicion of shoplifting."

Officers that detained the man were taking part in Operation Artemis at the time of the incident, which looks to crack down on drug dealing and off-road bikers in the Cleveland Police area.