A POLICE helicopter hovered over Didcot in the early hours of this morning tracking down suspected car thieves.

Thames Valley Police was called to Lydalls Nursery School in Lydalls Road at around 11.53pm last night following reports of banging noises in the area.

On arrival they realised that somebody had broken into a car in the car park of Julians of Didcot in Station Road.

Julians is a privately owned Ford dealership which stocks a selection of used and new cars.

By 12.29am three men had been arrested and they were this morning in custody on suspicion of theft or unauthorised taking of a vehicle.

Residents had reported seeing the helicopter hovering over Lydalls Road and Haydon Road and that there were police cars searching until 1.30am.

Police spokesman Lucy Billen said: “Police were checking to see if any other vehicles had been damaged.”