POLICE will today urge church leaders to help them lobby the Government to change laws regulating scrap yards in an effort to combat metal thefts, which now account for one in 12 crimes.

And as the drive to stamp out metal theft gathers pace, Durham Police launched Operation Hansel yesterday with a day of action to crack down on traders and scrap yards.

Police are urging the Government to look at the regulation of scrap yards, which are unchanged since 1964, to ban cash transactions and make rigorous checks on where the metal is from and who the sellers are.

They are to meet with church leaders and insurance companies tomorrow when they hope to persuade them to help lobby the Government on the issue.

The sharp rise in thefts has been driven by the rising price of metal and increasing demand from emerging overseas markets in the Far East.

Thieves are systematically dismantling the regions streets for profit, stealing power cables, metal from the rail network and gully covers, which cost the tax payer millions to replace and cause danger and inconvenience.

Lead and copper on private buildings are also being targeted, with churches particularly vulnerable to thieves who sell metal for scrap.

Yesterday, Operation Hansel was launched with a day of action in Darlington.

Police teamed up with officers from Darlington Borough Council, British Transport Police, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and Customs and Revenue to stop and search any vehicles carrying metal or visiting scrap yards.

They were looking for any suspicious metal, drivers without waste carrier permits or the correct insurance, motorists contravening traffic and vehicle regulations, and vehicles using red diesel.

They also visited four of the towns scrap merchants to search for stolen metal. No suspicious metal was found.

Police arrested one man for driving while disqualified and confiscated two vehicles as the drivers had no insurance.

Seven vehicles were immediately banned from the road because they were not roadworthy, and a driver was also temporarily banned as he had been driving for too long without a break.

Officers also issued 11 fixed penalty tickets for minor motoring offences.

The operation will be the first of a series planned across County Durham in the coming months, with several taking place in different areas next month.

Inspector Ed Turner said: "Metal thefts now account for eight per cent of all crime. It is a massive problem.

"We will use whatever we can to target the people who are doing this, crackling down on those operating illegitimately in whatever way we can.

"What we really need to see is a change in the law to make it difficult for metal dealers to turn a blind eye and easier for us to trace stolen metal."