Premier League footballers get stolen cars back

The footballer's red Ferrari was among the high-value haul found by the stolen vehicle intelligence unit in one week

A Ferrari and a Range Rover Sport have been returned to two Premier League footballers after being found in shipping containers bound for Dubai.

The vehicles were among £1m worth of high-end cars recovered by Essex Police during a "successful week" this summer.

Speaking of one of the players, who visited police, PC Phil Pentelow said: "He was genuinely thankful and taken aback by the lengths we had gone to."

Cars or parts with a value of £16m have been recovered in 2023, police added.

The force has not named the footballers but said the players had more than 100 international caps between them and had their cars stolen from neighbouring counties.

The Range Rover Sport, like the Ferrari, was found in a shipping container due to leave London Gateway port at Thurrock

Thieves often look to ship the whole car or its parts overseas, including to the Middle East and Africa, police said.

There, the vehicles can be sold for two or three times more than they would cost in the UK.

Essex Police said its stolen vehicle intelligence unit had dealt with hundreds of victims and everything from family saloons to supercars.

In May, three men in their 20s were arrested and bailed on suspicion of handling stolen goods after vehicles worth £640,000 were found at an industrial estate in Canvey.