A Brighton man chased his own van up the A23 after a thief drove off in it.
He spotted the van while in a friend’s car on the A27 and followed the thief for 20 miles.
He also put in a call to Sussex Police – at 1.45am this morning – and guided officers to the stolen van which was boxed in by three police vehicles on the M23.
A 30-year-old man from London was arrested at the southern end of the M23 just after 2am and is currently in custody.
The owner had bought the van only a week ago. It was stolen from outside a flat in Brighton.
A police spokeswoman said: “We were pleased that we could assist in recovering the van swiftly and safely.
“The loser was sensible in reporting this rather than dealing with the situation himself.”
