Detectives have stepped up the hunt for an organised gang responsible for a spate of expensive thefts from lorries after two new raids totalling £32,000.

The criminals have now pulled off more than seven raids in industrial estates in Basildon and Grays in the past three months.

The latest raid took place over the weekend in Luckyn Lane, on the Pipps Hill Industrial Estate, Basildon, when thieves slashed open the tarpaulin curtain of a Turkish trailer.

The men then removed nine large crates containing thousands of packets of Strepsils lozenges worth £30,000 which were loaded onto nearby vehicles.

Another lorry, also parked on the Pipps Hill, was also hit by the gang who stole ink jet cartridges and computer pallets worth £2,000.

The driver had left the trailer doors open to avoid thieves slashing the curtain, in the belief that no one would be interested in the cargo.

The thefts bring the total amount of stolen goods in south Essex to over £100,000 and detectives are becoming increasingly desperate to catch the culprits.

Det Chief Insp Tim Wills, of Basildon police, said: "We advise haulage drivers to be careful about where loads are laid up, maximising protection offered by well lit areas and those covered by CCTV."