A 30-year-old Hatfield man has been charged after he was found loitering outside properties in Stevenage carrying bags allegedly full of stolen property.

Robert Chubb, of Goldings Crescent in Hatfield, was stopped in Stevenage’s Valley Way at around 2.45am yesterday morning by officers carrying out a routine patrol of the area.

They had observed him behaving suspiciously around some of the properties in the road, and he was found to be in possession of a number of bags of items.

The 30-year-old was arrested on suspicion of theft and taken into custody at Stevenage Police Station.

He was subsequently charged with being in possession of stolen property under the Proceeds of Crime Act and appeared at Hatfield Remand Court later that day.

He was granted bail and is due to return to Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on January 8.