STOLEN goods worth £350,000 were seized after dawn raids on two houses in the countryside near Malvern.

Police swooped on the two addresses in the early hours of Tuesday and arrested one man at each house.

The haul recovered includes cigarettes valued at some £200,000.

Among the other items found were five Ifor Williams trailers, a mini tractor, four petrol lawnmowers, a number of generators, seven bicycles, a quad bike, chainsaws, tree cutting equipment and other items of garden equipment.

The two men were taken to Worcester police station and interviewed, then released on police bail pending further investigations.

DC Mark Chappell said: "This operation has resulted in the seizure of a very large quantity of high-value stolen goods, and officers will now be tracing them to their rightful owners.

"Operations like this are extremely rewarding not only for the officers but also the owners who have stolen property returned. This is only possible with help from the public. "