Three men were arrested after breaking into a restaurant and stealing thousands of pounds worth of tools.

On Wednesday morning, police received a call from a member of the public who reported they had seen three men snapping a lock at a restaurant under renovation on Cable Street in Lancaster. 

At around 1.40am the trio were seen loading up a nearby van with tools.

The van was followed onto the M61 a short time later and stopped by police who arrested the three men - one from Halifax and two from Bradford. 

A machete was also discovered in the van, with the driver being further arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article.

He was arrested again after officers conducted a roadside swab and found him to be positive for drink and drugs. 

A spokesperson for the police said: "At around 1.40am, we received a call from a member of the public who had seen three men snapping a lock at a restaurant under renovation on Cable Street, Lancaster.

"The trio were seen loading up a nearby van with tools.

"A short time later, one of our Tac Ops patrols followed the van as it was heading south.

"It was stopped on the M61 and the three men – one from Halifax and two from Bradford - were arrested on suspicion of burglary.

"The driver was also found in possession of a machete and so was arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife/ bladed article, as well as drink and drug driving."

Thankfully, the police were able to recover thousands of pounds worth of stolen tools.

The spokesperson continued: "It is thanks to the person that made the call that we were able to get the tools back and make these arrests.

"This story shows just how important it is that you report anything you see that you think is suspicious or doesn’t look/feel quite right.

"A huge thank you to the member of the public who made us aware."