Police recovered a stolen van within 30 minutes of the crime being reported.

Officers reacted quickly to reports of a stolen van in Buckhurst Hill and a cloned car in Ongar to intercept the vehicles within half an hour of being alerted by members of the public.

Cloning a vehicle is when a criminal copies the identity of another vehicle by stealing or duplicating their registration plates.

In a Facebook post, Essex Police's Epping Forest policing team wrote: "More magic from our Epping Forest Community Police Safety Team this week as they recovered both of these vehicles in record time.

"A cloned vehicle in Ongar and a stolen van in Buckhurst Hill recovered within thirty minutes of the crime being reported. #ProtectingandServingEssex"

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