Two men were arrested within 20 minutes of a burglary at a village pub near Maidstone after police recovered more than 10 drums of stolen cooking oil.
Kent Police were called to Ware Street, Bearsted, at 4.16am on Friday 29 May 2026, following reports that two men had fled a public house with the items before driving towards Bearsted Green. Officers quickly located the suspects’ vehicle and initiated a short pursuit, which ended on the coastbound carriageway of the M20. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered several large barrels of cooking oil.
A 39-year-old man from Chatham and a 37-year-old man of no fixed address, both Bulgarian nationals, were arrested on suspicion of theft and remain in custody. Detectives are currently investigating whether the break-in is linked to a separate report of theft from another local pub.
Anyone with information, private CCTV, or dashcam footage from the area at the time is urged to contact the west Kent appeals line on 01622 604100, quoting reference 46/85057/26.