THREE men flung items from a car being pursued by police and then ran off into woods in a bid to escape.

Now officers are trying to find the owners of a safe that was left behind by the unknown offenders.

Their appeal for the owner of a safe to come forward follows a dramatic vehicle pursuit through a Wiltshire village.

At around 8pm on Wednesday, officers attempted to stop a Renault Scenic with a faulty headlight, in Collingbourne Ducis, which had come into the county from the Andover direction.

The vehicle failed to stop and as officers followed it the occupants threw items from the car.

It then stopped on a driveway and the three male occupants ran off into a wooded area. They were described as wearing grey tracksuits and balaclavas.

A large safe was discovered in the back of the Scenic.

Det Con Anthony Swift said: "We believe this safe was taken from a property outside of Wiltshire and need the rightful owner to contact us so we can return it to them.

"We'd also like to hear from anyone who may have seen the occupants of this car fleeing the scene or saw anyone acting suspiciously in or nearby the village yesterday evening.

"If you help or recognise the safe, please contact us on 101 quoting crime reference number 54200124556."