FIVE men and a boy of 12 have been bailed by police pending further enquiries after the attempted theft of valuable roof tiles from a cottage in a Kent village.

On the evening of Friday 16 June, an off-duty police officer stopped in Flint Lane, Lenham, near Maidstone, to change a flat tyre when he noticed a group of males running in the opposite direction up a bank.

The police officer investigated and discovered a Bedford Rascal Van, which allegedly contained peg tiles, which had been removed from the roof of a nearby cottage.

On-duty police officers then attended and conducted a search of the area. A group fitting the description of the six males was reported to be seen running across a field on the opposite side to Flint Lane. A member of the public later reported seeing a similar group crammed into a 4x4 style vehicle driving away from the scene at speed.

A group matching the description from the scene was later stopped and arrested before being taken to Maidstone Police Station for questioning.

The arrested party come from all over the county and include a 21-year-old from Teynham, near Sittingbourne, a 28-year-old from Maidstone, a 25-year-old and a 19-year-old from Whitstable, and a 30-year-old and a 12-year-old boy from the Faversham area.

All have all been bailed until August, pending further enquiries.