Five teenagers were arrested in the early hours of Saturday after the stolen car they were travelling in left the road and collided with a road sign in King's Lynn.

Five teenagers were arrested on Saturday afternoon after the stolen car they were travelling in left the road and collided with a road sign in King's Lynn.

The incident occurred on Queen Mary Road at the junction with Parkway at 1.40pm, after officers attempted to stop the white Ford Escort Cabriolet in Gaywood for routine document checks.

The vehicle, which had been reported stolen in Cambridgeshire three days earlier, made off down Queen Mary Road before leaving the road and colliding with a road sign. Three of the five occupants made off.

Two females, both aged 16 and from the Wisbech area, suffered minor injuries and were taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn for treatment, following which they were arrested on suspicion of allowing themselves to be carried in a stolen car.

The police helicopter and a police dog unit assisted officers on the ground in an area search for the three male occupants. With the help of witnesses, three males - a 17-year-old from Cambridgeshire and two 16-year-old's from Luton - were subsequently arrested close-by on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking.

Inspector Julian Moulton said: “We are very grateful to members of the public who acted as witnesses and assisted police in the search leading to the arrests.”

All five people were later released on police bail to respond to Cambridgeshire Police later this month pending further enquiries.

The vehicle was recovered for forensic examination.