Drama as police swoop to arrest stallholder at Milton Keynes car boot sale over the weekend

It is believed the tools, which include many electric drills, may have been stolen locally, possibly from vans belong to tradespeople.

Police were called to the Bowl by members of the public reporting their suspicions that the tools were stolen property.

"Many of the more expensive items had initials painted on them and you could see where someone had tried to scratch them off," said one witness.

The move follows a recent spate of van break ins and tool thefts all around Milton Keynes.

A police spokesman said: "A male was arrested suspicion on handling stolen goods following reports of the sale of numerous tools at a local car boot sale."

Officers are now keen to try to trace the owners of the seized items and are asking for victims of thefts of drills or similar tools to make contact with the investigating officer.

"At this time, we are particularly keen to hear from owners of DEWALT and MAKITA drills that have been stolen," said the spokesman.

If you believe that your missing items may be amongst the items we have recovered, contact 101 and quote reference 43200037061.

But victims must ensure they have the serial numbers of the items or any other clearly identifiable marks or features plus proof of ownership.

The police spokesman said: "We will not be able to reunite any owners with their tools without this information and to prevent false claims on these expensive tools, we will not be publishing photos of the items at this time."

Meanwhile the arrested man has been interviewed but no charges have yet been made. Police enquiries are ongoing.