A MAN and woman have been arrested on suspicion of theft of historic stones from a home in Warrington.

Officers from the Cheshire Police Rural Crime Team were called following reports of the theft at an address on Watery Lane at around 1.25pm yesterday, Thursday.

The caller reported that a man and woman were putting historic stones into a white transit style van. Officers were deployed to the scene but on arrival the van had left the scene.

However, following enquiries officers were able to identify the registration number of the van, and the vehicle was tracked to the Beeston area using ANPR cameras.

Officers were deployed to the area and the van was subsequently located near to Four Lanes End in Tarporley, where a number of stones were also located.

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A 38-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, both from Wigan, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of theft.

They have since been released on conditional bail which prevents them from entering Cheshire.

Sergeant Rob Simpson, of the Rural Crime Team, said: “This is a fantastic result which has not only resulted in the arrest of two people, but also the recovery of a large quantity of stones which are believed to have been stolen.

“The theft of historic stones in rural areas has been growing issue in recent months, and as this case demonstrates we will use all the tools available to ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions. I hope these arrests makes criminals think twice about targeting our rural communities and preserve the heritage of our county.”