FOUR men from the Nottinghamshire area have been arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal after a van was stopped near Burbage in the early hours of this morning.

An officer on routine patrol of the A338 spotted a white Ford Transit van at around 1.50am today.

He initially pulled the vehicle over due to it having defective lights, but upon speaking to the occupants realised there were two men in the front of the van and two more on a mattress in the back.

He searched the vehicle and seized a black holdall which contained a balaclava, a woollen hat, two pairs of gloves, a torch and a screwdriver. Two mobile phones were also seized.

Four men, aged 28, 37, 45 and 47, all from the Nottinghamshire area, were arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal. They are currently in custody at Melksham Police Station.

Inspector Chris Martin, from the Devizes Area Community Policing Team, said: “We have had a spate of burglaries in that area recently, so we have been proactively patrolling overnight, making sure we are alert to any suspicious activity.

“These arrests are an example of a quick-thinking officer spotting something unusual and potentially preventing crimes being committed.”