A trail of pine needles helped police catch three thieves in the act of stealing more than 100 Christmas trees from Notcutts Garden Centre in Pembury last week.
On the night of November 22, officers from Kent Police received a call from a security firm monitoring CCTV at the Tonbridge Road centre, after three men were seen climbing over a fence and carrying Christmas trees. The offenders had smashed two cameras on the site, but were unaware of more hidden cameras still watching them.

Police then approached and blocked off all the exits, catching one of the thieves as he tried to run off and the other two hiding in the bushes.

A trail of pine needles led them to the thieves' van, where they found 138 Christmas trees, 48 boxes of Christmas lights and two wheelbarrows - a haul worth almost £7,000.

Inspector Justin Watts of Kent Police said: "Christmas tree theft is an all too common occurrence at this time of year, which is why we work with garden centres and private sellers alike to offer crime prevention advice and ensure they have sufficient security to tackle this issue. This is a prime example of where these security measures have worked to help prevent anything being stolen and the offenders being caught in the act. These scrooges have shown a complete lack of Christmas spirit, which is why it's only right that they will spend their festive season thinking about the consequences of their actions."

The three men pleaded guilty to theft at Sevenoaks Magistrates on November 24. Two of the men were sentenced to a 12-month community order, while the third was sent to Maidstone Crown Court for sentence.