THREE people have been arrested after a car packed full of stolen goods was stopped on the A12.

On Saturday, Roads Policing Unit officers stopped the silver car on the A12 at junction 19 at Chelmsford.

The stop came after they received information that it was believed to have been concerned in a shoplifting incident in Stanway an hour earlier.

When officers looked inside the car, it was packed with groceries and household goods, but the Ford S-Max occupants couldn’t account for them.

Goods - Impact - Essex Police said the 'grand scale' theft threatens businesses (Image: Essex Police)

As a result, they were arrested on suspicion of theft and taken into police custody.

All three, a 49-year-old man and two women aged 31 and 51, have all been released under investigation whilst officers continue enquiries.

Adam Pipe, head of Essex Roads Policing, said: “We continue to patrol the county to identify those who make criminal use of our roads in an attempt to evade arrest, and will always take robust action against those concerned.

“Our shops are at the heart of our communities and provide a valuable service to all who use them. 

“Theft from their shops on a grand scale threatens the very business they provide and the lifeline they share with their communities.”