A 45-year-old man has been arrested in St Albans following a break in at an Oxfam charity shop.

With assistance of CCTV and a police dog, officers from the city’s police station arrested the man on suspicion of burglary during the early hours of yesterday morning.

A worker was monitoring St Albans City and District Council surveillance screens in the early hours when he spotted the suspect walking around the deserted streets.

He alerted police when the man began acting suspiciously near the Oxfam bookshop in Catherine Street.

Shortly afterwards, a 45-year-old man was arrested in St Peter’s Churchyard on suspicion of burglary at the Oxfam store. He was later released pending further investigation.

Councillor Jacqui Taylor said: “Our CCTV operator did an excellent job in spotting a suspicious individual and bringing the incident to the attention of the police.

“It is an example of how well we work with partner organisations such as Hertfordshire Constabulary and shows that we are still targeting crime in these difficult times.”