Two men are facing charges after quick-acting police patrols recovered construction machinery worth nearly £100,000 just an hour after it was reported stolen from Swanley Park.
The drama took place late Friday night, September 26, 2025. Officers were alerted at 9:30 pm to the theft of plant equipment from the park on New Barn Road. In a textbook example of swift policing, patrols spotted a suspicious vehicle parked on Rochester Way in the Dartford Heath area by 10:30 pm. The vehicle, a flatbed truck, was transporting a stolen JCB telehandler, digger. Both the truck and the valuable machinery were immediately seized by police. Two men found at the scene were arrested in connection with offences including theft and criminal damage.
In a related development, investigators later located a second item of alleged stolen machinery which was found abandoned and burnt out. The two suspects have since been released on bail with conditions as the investigation continues into the significant theft and associated damage.