POLICE have admitted a would-be building site thief got away after claiming he was waiting for a delivery of concrete - at half past four in the morning.

Officers were called to a new housing development in Barnoldswick, at 4.25am, on Monday, after residents saw a man breaking into a container.

He was still on the former Westfield Mill site, off Gisburn Road, when police arrived around 20 minutes later.

Several power tools had been taken from the unit and laid out on the ground but the thief claimed he was working on the development and was waiting for a delivery of concrete.

He then got in a van and left, saying he was going to find a co-worker but never returned.

The van, which was registered to an address in the Bradford area, was later recovered nearby but the offender has not been arrested.

It is thought the thief may have switched vehicles with the help of an accomplice.

The police who went out to the incident were response officers from Colne, who cover West Craven when local PCs are unavailable.

Sgt John Fryer, of Colne police, accepted that it was highly unlikely that someone would be waiting for a delivery of concrete before dawn.

However, he added that the man was very convincing and "looked the part".

Sgt Fryer said: "The offender was wearing a high-visibility jacket, workboots and a builder's hard hat, which could have made his story plausible.

"Fortunately, nothing was taken as he abandoned the power tools on the site and we found his vehicle nearby. We'll be doing forensic checks on that."

Barnoldswick town councillor Jenny Purcell said the residents who called out the police were dismayed when they saw officers allowing the man to leave.

She said the couple, who did not want to be named, were woken by the sound of the lock being broken off the container and then saw the man lifting power tools out of it.

Coun Purcell said: "The people who contacted me were absolutely disgusted.

"These could have been the same criminals behind break-ins at other industrial units around here and the police could have got them there and then - but they let them go. They didn't even ask for ID or anything."

The suspect is described as white, with a moustache, short grey hair and a strong North West accent.

Anyone with information should contact local police on 0845 1253545 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.