Police seized a transit van today after it was flagged up as stolen on a surveillance system.
Surrey Roads Policing Unit stopped the van in London Road, Ewell, at about 1.30pm when its number plate showed up as being stolen from South West London.
Epsom and Ewell Safer Neighbourhood Team said on Facebook: "The driver was let on his way after initial investigations showed that the van was bought in good faith.
"The Metropolitan Police will be continuing investigations into the vehicle theft, it is unfortunate for the driver, but it is a good result for the team."
Police use a tool called automatic number plate recognition which reads number plates and checks them against police and licensing agency databases.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article