Seven vehicles seized in police raid on workshop

Officers from North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Hawk discovered 10 vehicles and a number of vehicle parts after entering a large industrial unit in Sherburn-in-Elmet, between Leeds and Selby.

It is suspected that the workshop at the site on Sir John’s Lane was being used to dismantle stolen cars for criminal purposes.

Seven vehicles were seized including a quad bike, two Volkswagen Golfs and a Ford Transit van after the raid on Tuesday.

Police surrounded the premises after breaking through a locked gate. After hearing noises inside they entered and found four men. One was arrested inside the building and three others detained after being chased on foot by officers. A fifth man was arrested the following day.

The arrested men from the Leeds area are aged between 22 and 44. They were detained in police custody for questioning and released on conditional police bail.

Operation Hawk was launched in July to tackle the growing threat of rural and cross-border crime in North Yorkshire, which is regularly targeted by organised by gangs from neighbouring counties.

Acting Assistant Chief Constable Ken McIntosh, who leads the operation, said: “This was an excellent piece of police work which has resulted in the disruption of a suspected criminal conspiracy to steal cars.”