Two men from Norfolk are to appear in court after being charged with stealing dozens of pain relief gas canisters from hospitals.

Harry Goodrum, 23, of Norwich Road in Dereham, and Jake Roberts, 23, of Chestnut Hill in Norwich, are among four men charged following the thefts in the North East.

The canisters were used to contain nitrous oxide, used by patients to manage pain, and were stolen from Chester-le-Street Community Hospital, Bishop Auckland Hospital and Darlington Memorial Hospital, in the early hours of Sunday, March 22.

Police recovered a car in North Yorkshire and stopped a van in Lincolnshire and recovered the canisters.

The two Norfolk men, together Oliver Evans, 22, from Wallington, and Wayne John Grady, 41, of no fixed abode, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary and are due to appear at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday, April 28.