DOZENS of suspected scrap metal thieves have been arrested and thousands of pounds worth of goods recovered in a major police operation.

Durham Police conducted Operation Hansel from August to October to combat a wave of lead thefts sparked by soaring scrap metal prices.

A dedicated team of officers was put together in the south of the county to tackle the growing problem.

In three months, they arrested 40 people for theft, handling stolen goods, money laundering and other offences.

They recovered 30 tonnes of railway line in a joint operation with British Transport Police, three stolen vehicles, two tonnes of steel, £4,000 worth of scaffolding and more than £3,000 cash.

Scrap metal thefts dropped by 60 per cent in October compared to August and September as a result of the operation.

The initial phase of Operation Hansel has concluded, but police have promised to continue to target scrap metal thieves.

Acting Insp Lee Morris said: "Until this year offences of scrap metal theft tended to be fairly isolated and were not considered a major problem.

"But when the number of thefts started to rise we knew concerted action was needed.

"The thieves were targeting churches, pumping stations, railway tracks and industrial units to steal whatever they could find. But we now have a great deal more information on who these people are and how they operate, which will prove very useful in our future planning.

"And a number of lines of enquiry are being followed up which directly result from the work done by the Hansel team."

The Northern Echo has reported a number of scrap metal thefts during the past few months including from churches, the Tees Cottage Pumping Station visitor attraction, in Darlington, railway lines, scrapyards and mines.