FOUR men have been summonsed to appear in court in connection with reports that cars were taken from Essex homes as their owners slept.

Richard Flanigan, 28, of no fixed address, has been summonsed for aggravated vehicle taking, three counts of burglary, theft of a car and attempted burglary.

Christopher Tyler, 30, of Prospect Hill, Walthamstow, Lewis Morgan- Looker, 32, of no fixed address, and Ricardo De-Jesus, 21, of Newport Avenue, Poplar, have been summonsed for aggravated vehicle taking, burglary and theft of a vehicle.

They are all due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 14 August.

It follows three reports between 12 November and 16 November 2017, from people who awoke to find their cars missing in Grays, Chelmsford and Harlow.

Police also received a report of an attempted burglary in Margaretting on 16 November, 2017.

They arrested four people following a pursuit along the A12 the following day, which ended after the car collided with a sign in Marks Tey at around 1.20am.