POLICE have seized five vehicles and made one arrest following a crackdown on metal thefts.
A total of 31 vehicles were stopped around the Longhill Industrial Estate in Hartlepool on Monday as part of Operation Harold, an initiative set up by police to target metal thefts.
During the spot-checks, six drivers were reported for traffic o
ffences and unlawful carrying of waste though none of them related to metal thefts.
One of the drivers was arrested after it emerged he was driving while disqualified.
Police officers who carried out the stops, along with other agencies, were happy with the success of the operation and have warned drivers that similar operations will be set up in the future.
Detective Inspector Stephen Richards, of Hartlepool CID, said: "We carried out this operation to specifically target the problem of valuable metals being stolen.
"We will continue to work hard to address the problem of metal thefts and intend to run a lot more of these enforcement operations."
Police target areas where there are large numbers of scrap metal merchants such as industrial estates in an attempt to catch people in the act of cashing in their hauls.
In Operation Harold, police worked in partnership with the Hartlepool Environmental Enforcement team, the Vehicle Licensing Authority, the Automatic Number Plate Recognition team and Customs and Excise.
Vehicles which are seized for offences such as not displaying a valid tax disc are taken to a compound and stored there until the registered keeper gets his or her documents up to date.
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