Four held after Potter find

J K Rowling is a household name

Four people have been arrested after an unreleased Harry Potter novel was found in field in north Suffolk.

Two copies of the forthcoming novel by JK Rowling were found in a field earlier this week - a quarter of a mile from where they were being printed.

Two 16-year-old boys, an 18-year-old man, and a 44-year-old man, were arrested in connection with the theft of the books from a printworks, and on suspicion of obtaining property by deception.

They are due to be questioned at Lowestoft police station later on Thursday.

The copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix were discovered by a walker in Bungay, Suffolk, who immediately contacted the Sun newspaper, which now has them in its possession.

The fifth instalment of the wizarding adventures is not due to be published until 21 June.

The author's publisher, Bloomsbury, said legal steps were being taken to "prevent any part of the book being unlawfully disclosed in advance of the book's publication date to avoid disappointment to readers".

The copies were reportedly found a quarter of a mile (400 metres) from Clays Ltd, which will print hundreds of thousands of the book.

The walker, an unnamed 40-year-old father-of-two, telephoned The Sun, according to the newspaper.

It sent a journalist to bring the books to its headquarters in Wapping, east London, and is arranging to return them to publishers Bloomsbury.