A MAN was arrested close to a scrap metal dealership in Snailwell, near Newmarket today (Tuesday) as part of a Europe-wide day of action on metal theft. Across the county, four vehicles were seized and another man was arrested in Peterborough. It is n

A MAN was arrested close to a scrap metal dealership in Snailwell, near Newmarket today (Tuesday) as part of a Europe-wide 'day of action' on metal theft.

Across the county, four vehicles were seized and another man was arrested in Peterborough.

It is not yet known whether the arrests and vehicle seizures are linked.

Since September last year, Cambridgeshire Police have been cracking down on metal theft, as part of Operation Saruman.

Detective Inspector Andy Gipp, leading the investigation said: "Today's action demonstrates how widespread this type of crime has become and how seriously we continue to treat it in Cambridgeshire.

"We are carrying out extra patrols and working hard to gather intelligence and evidence, but we cannot tackle this problem effectively without help from the public and I would urge residents to be extra vigilant and report any suspicious activity, particularly around buildings, electricity substations and manhole covers."

This week, detectives working on Operation Saruman also launched a new initiative designed to help scrap metal dealers identify stolen material.

An email or fax will be sent to dealers every morning detailing metal that has been reported as stolen in the preceding 24 hours.

This will allow dealers to identify suspicious material and inform police, who will be then be able to return more metal to its rightful owner, arrest suspects and disrupt the activities of thieves.

Anyone with information about metal theft should contact police on 0845 456 456 4, or if a crime is believed to be in progress, call 999.