POLICE have caught three wanted men nearly 50 miles from the Herefordshire village where they are accused of stealing tobacco.

West Mercia Police said it had spotted a Ford car using cloned plates on the M5, a vehicle which had been linked to the theft of several thousand pounds worth of tobacco across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

One of the latest thefts it was believed to be involved in was in Credenhill, near Hereford, on Monday (February 6).

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And less than 24 hours later, the three people in the car were arrested 46 miles away in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.


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Police said they followed the car from the M5 into the town, but after officers boxed the car in, the driver tried to escape by reverse-ramming one of the police vehicles.

This was unsuccessful and the three occupants of the car were arrested and a "significant quantity of tobacco" was found inside, officers said.

"All three individuals were wanted by numerous police forces across the UK for similar offences," the police spokesperson said.