Thieves broke into sites across north and west Kent to steal more than £50,000 worth of industrial batteries in a spate of raids.

In the first case, police were told thieves had broken into a mobile mast site in Wested Lane, Swanley, and stolen batteries at 3am on Friday June 16.

The next day - between 8pm on Saturday June 17 2017 and 12.40pm on Sunday June 18 - a portable cabin was broken into and industrial batteries stolen from a farm in Mussenden Lane, Fawkham.

Further batteries were also reported stolen from the same farm between midnight on Sunday June 18 and 1pm on Monday June 19; and from a cabin in Darenth Road, South Darenth, between midnight on Monday June 19 and 3am on Tuesday June 20.

A succession of further battery thefts followed on Tuesday - between 1.07am and 1.10am from a mast in Brands Hatch car park in Scratchers Lane, Fawkham; between 1.50am and 2.30am from Longfield Avenue, Longfield; and between 3.10am and 3.45am from a cabin in Morants Court Road in Dunton Green.

The batteries, which belonged to Vodafone and Ericsson, are all said to have been stored securely inside cabins before thieves broke in.

Anyone with information about these burglaries can call Kent Police on 01622 604100 quoting crime reference YY/016463/17 or the anonymous Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555 111.