Computer chips heist at depot

Police say there are no security issues for Heathrow

Computer chips worth an estimated £6.2m were stolen from a van near Heathrow Airport on Sunday.

Scotland Yard said the Pentium 4 chips were inside an American Airlines van which was taken when the driver left it unattended for a few moments.

About £1.5m worth of the chips were later recovered when the vehicle was found abandoned behind a row of shops in nearby Feltham, west London.

Police have stressed they believe the theft has no security implications for Heathrow Airport.

CCTV footage

The chips were taken before 1115 GMT on Sunday, while the van was at the Haslemere trading estate in Hounslow.

Police think two men stole the vehicle and its valuable contents.

A Scotland Yard statement said: "Police are actively seeking the two suspects, and have traced a white Renault van that they may have escaped in, abandoned in Feltham."

Officers have spoken to the van's original driver and are looking at CCTV footage for further clues.

They do not know whether the theft was opportunistic, or if the thieves had access to security passes.

It is thought that the chips were en route from Miami to an as yet unknown destination.

There have been no arrests.