Police officers were led on a high speed chase by thieves who had stolen a safe with £45k inside.

The gang of three men used sledgehammers to smash two holes through the walls of Graces Place cafe in Madeira Drive in the early hours of Monday morning.

They then used a transit van to wrench a safe containing £45,000 from the wall.

Then criminals then loaded the heavy box into their getaway vehicle and sped off eastward down the seafront.

They left the scene of the crime 00:45 and at shortly before 2am, a marked police car saw a van activate a speed camera on the A270 Lewes Road heading out of Brighton and began following it.

The van, identified as stolen, failed to stop when signalled to do so and made off at high speed, at times travelling on the wrong side of the road and running red traffic lights.

Officers lost sight of it but at 2.11am it was found abandoned in Middleton Rise, Coldean.

The van was recovered to a police pound for routine forensic tests, having not at this stage been linked to the burglary at Graces Place cafe.

However, when officers later viewed CCTV footage of the raid, they realised it was the same van used in the theft.

Entry was forced to the rear cargo area where they found the safe and contents intact.

Detective Inspector Clare Shiel, of Brighton CID, said: "We're pleased the burglars failed to get away with the stolen property, but our investigation continues and we now need to identify and arrest them.

"Anyone who saw this white Ford Transit being driven in a dangerous manner along the A27 out of Brighton in the early hours of Monday morning, or who may have seen it being dumped in Coldean is asked to contact us without delay.

"We would also still like to hear from anyone who noticed anything suspicious around the scene of the burglary in Madeira Drive."

Anyone with information is asked to email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or phone 101, quoting serial 158 of August 17.