TWO men have been arrested following a “high value” theft in Northwich.

An Audi A3 was spotted driving away from the scene of an attempted shoplifting incident at Tesco on Manchester Road.

After stopping the vehicle on Plumley Moor Road near Knutsford, officers arrested two men and seized more than £1,450 worth of food and alcohol, believed to have been stolen on a separate occasion.

PC Dan Parker said: “This is a fantastic result and I’d like to thank the staff at the Supermarket for their quick-thinking actions.

“As a result of the information they provided, we were quickly able to locate the vehicle involved and two men have been arrested.

“In addition, we were also able to recover almost £1,500 worth of items which area also believed to have been stolen.”

Northwich Guardian: The Audi A3 was stopped on Plumey Moor Road near KnutsfordThe Audi A3 was stopped on Plumey Moor Road near Knutsford (Image: Google Maps)

Police were initially called to reports of an attempted shoplifting offence at Tesco on Manchester Road at 8.40pm last night (February 13).

The caller told police that two men had attempted to steal more than £850 worth of stock from the store but left empty-handed after security intervened.

As they fled the scene, the men threw items at staff and customers before driving off in an Audi A3 towards Manchester.

Despite the attack, staff managed to get the registration number for the car and officers from the roads and crime unit were made aware of the incident.

At around 9.30pm, officers spotted a car matching the description of the vehicle involved on the A556 near Knutsford.

Police stopped the car on Plumley Moor Road, Lower Peover, and searched the vehicle.

Officers found more than £1450 worth of food and alcohol, which is believed to have been stolen from another supermarket in Northwich.

The driver and passenger from the vehicle were both arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted theft, going equipped for theft, and theft.

The 33-year-old from Luton and the 22-year-old from Leigh, both remain in police custody at this time.

The 33-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs.