Eight people have been arrested and two vehicles seized in South Durham as part of a crackdown on metal theft.
Police officers and neighbourhood wardens from Durham County Council have stopped more than 100 vehicles suspected of carrying scrap metal during the past three months as part of an ongoing operation by the Safe Durham Partnership.
The clampdown in the area has also seen eight drivers issued with fixed penalty notices for failing to produce the correct paperwork for the loads they were carrying.
Inspector Ed Turner of Durham Constabulary Roads Policing unit said, “These stop and search exercises have enabled us to identify a number of individuals we suspect of being involved in the theft and sale of scrap metal.
“They have also helped us crack down on rogue traders carrying commercial waste without being licensed to do so.”
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
