Residents in Sittingbourne were woken this morning by the sound of a helicopter hovering overhead.

The chopper was part of a Metropolitan Police operation to track down a stolen Land Rover.

The vehicle was finally found in Denbigh Close. Milton Regis.

But the thieves had fled and are still on the run.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "We were called at 7.40am on Sunday to assist the Metropolitan Police in locating a vehicle which had been reported stolen during a burglary.

"The vehicle, a Land Rover, was reported to have entered Kent and a police helicopter was used to assist a search.

"Inquires are ongoing to locate the occupants who had left the scene."