Police praise member of the public after Gedney Hill cement mixer theft was thwarted

Police have praised a member of the public for helping to prevent the theft of a cement mixer in Gedney Hill on Friday night.

The person spotted a group of men trying to load a cement mixer into the back of a van.

They challenged the men who then took off in a hurry - failing to secure the mixer which fell off the back of the van.

The concerned citizen called police at 10.18pm to report their suspicions.

By 10.36pm, officers found the mixer in the middle of the road and were able to contact its owners.

At 10.39pm, police then found the van in question. They then arrested a 39-year-old Spalding man on suspicion of attempted theft.

By 11.30pm the mixer had been returned to its owners - a little over an hour after the eagle-eyed member of the public's call.

A police spokesman said: "The moral of the story – report your suspicions, we will do what we can from there."

Spalding Inspector Nick Waters said: “Our sincere thanks go to the member of the public who acted swiftly in initiating this timeline of events that ended in the safe return of the orange mixer.”

Anyone with information relating to this incident should contact 101, quoting reference 489 of March 26.