Scrapyards attract police attention

After months of investigations, specialist police officers and colleagues from agencies including HMRC, BT, Northern Power Grid, the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water searched 10 scrapyards at 9am yesterday for both stolen metal and any assets that had been gained through criminal activity.

Chief Superintendent Bill Hotchkiss, regional strategic metal theft co-ordinator for Yorkshire and the Humber, said yesterday: “Today’s operation is the culmination of months of painstaking investigation work not just by South Yorkshire Police but by everyone involved from our local authorities, other emergency services and service providers.

“The full extent of the amount of material and assets recovered from the sites searched today won’t be clear for some time.

“We have sent a strong message to rogue tradespeople and those suspected of creating a market for stolen metal.”

He added: “Metal theft is not a victimless crime. It has a far-reaching impact on communities.”