Two men suspected of stealing thousands of pounds worth of machinery were caught on camera by a regional press photographer out to capture early-morning images of snowfall.

The Express & Star photographer thought he was getting a picture of workmen battling the elements while digging up a Walsall street, not realising the two men in hi-vis jackets were actually potential crooks.

After the snap appeared in the newspaper, it emerged that a hydraulic breaker worth around £3,500 had been stolen from the roadworks site.

A member of staff at contractors Jordan Road Surfacing, working on behalf of Walsall Council, was reading the Walsall edition of the Express & Star on he spotted the photograph and alerted his bosses. The photo could now play a key role in tracking the perpetrators down.

Pc Grant Dixon, from Bloxwich police station, said: “I would urge anyone who recognises the pair, or the men themselves, to come forward and speak to us.”

Express & Star executive editor Mark Drew said: “We are happy if by printing this picture we have helped police in their investigations.”

The full story can be read here.

Incriminating evidence - this picture published in the Express & Star appears to show two thieves in the act