Essex Police drop Barnston kitten theft probe

Detectives who appealed for help finding three "stolen" kittens have ended their hunt - after they were found in the owners' bedroom.

Essex Police initially said intruders had broken into a house in The Chase in Barnston, Essex.

A public appeal was launched asking for information from anybody offered kittens for sale.

But police have now confirmed the owners have found their three missing kittens behind a "bedroom unit".

A police spokeswoman said the owners would not face action for wasting police time because the burglary report was well-intentioned.

But she added officers did not now believe a burglary had taken place.

The police search for the "stolen" kittens comes almost a year after the force's hunt for the "Essex lion", which it was later claimed was not a big cat but a domestic feline called Teddy Bear.