Police have recovered a minibus in Cradley Heath that was stolen from a school in Dudley last month. 

West Midlands Police said they spotted the minibus being driven around in the early hours. 

Road crime team officers started following the Peugeot Boxer, which had been stolen from a school in Dudley, when they spotted it in Cradley Heath at around 1am on Saturday (August 31). 

The driver realised he was being followed and abandoned the minibus before fleeing on foot.

He was chased over gardens by officers before being arrested on Southgate, Cradley Heath.

PC Rob Lattimer, from the Road Crime Team, said: "Vehicle crime is a priority for us and we know how frustrating, distressing and disruptive it is for people.

"This will have been especially disruptive for a school, so it's great that we've been able to recover it."

A man, aged 29, has been charged with driving offences and possession of a knife and will appear before Dudley magistrates court on Tuesday, September 17. 

Enquiries into the theft of the van continue.