A man has been arrested after a pink ice cream van was pursued through city streets by police following reports it had been stolen.

Nottinghamshire Police caught up with the brightly coloured vehicle on the A52 in Nottingham at 1.20am on Thursday, 20 minutes after it was reported stolen from Bobbers Mill Road.

But when officers then tried to pull over the van, emblazoned with a “super whippy” sign, the vehicle carried on.

Police said the vehicle, also covered in painted cartoon characters, was eventually brought to a halt.

A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, driving without insurance and theft of a van.

Inspector Mark Stanley said: “Clearly this was an unusual getaway vehicle and it wasn’t too difficult for officers to spot a pink ice cream van being driven in the middle of the night.

“Although it’s a comical tale, this is someone’s livelihood and a crime like this could have had a devastating impact.

“I’m glad that we’ve been able to return the van quickly and hopefully minimise the disruption to its owner.”