Police raided a Keighley garage this week as part of a major operation against alleged car sales fraudsters.

A man was arrested at Pennine Motor House, in Bradford Street, Lawkholme, by officers from West Yorkshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit.

A total of five men were arrested in raids on four garages in Keighley, Bradford and Dewsbury on Tuesday morning.

Four cars were seized, including a Porsche and two Audis, during the joint operation with West Yorkshire Trading Standards.

Police also seized a quantity of cash from the garages.

The searches formed part of an investigation into expensive vehicles that had their official insurance status altered in order for them to be sold on at a higher value.

A total of 52 cars were found to have been written off by an insurance company only to be badly repaired and then sold to unsuspecting customers at a higher price.

HPI checks on the vehicles were shown as being clear with no acknowledgement to the damage that they had suffered.

All of the owners whose vehicles have had their histories edited have been notified.

Police believe those involved in the alleged conspiracy have profited by £500,000.

Men aged 44, 38, 33, 31, and 26 were all arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Chief Trading Standards Officer Graham Hebblethwaite said: “Cars recorded as repairable motor salvage lose 50 per cent of their retail value.

“This is a fact not lost on certain individuals who will go to any lengths to make illegal profits from motor trading.

“By botching repairs to return crashed vehicles to the road and effectively erasing their histories, innocent car buyers have been defrauded and all road users have been put at risk.

"We will continue to work with the West Yorkshire Police to bring legal proceedings against those responsible. Buyers should always consider an independent mechanical report on vehicles before purchase."

Temporary Detective Chief Inspector Fran Naughton, of the Economic Crime Unit, said: “Despite these vehicles having been declared as ‘write offs’, this information was not recorded and therefore the HPI checks highlighted that these vehicles were clear of damage.

“These vehicles would then be sold on having had substandard repairs carried out causing substantial risk to the car owner and other members of the public.

“We will continue to work with the Trading Standards to establish those responsible in this conspiracy and ensure that they can no longer pose a threat to road users.”

Police this week said Pennine Motors, at the junction of Bradford Street and Lawkholme Lane, was formerly known as Blue Ocean.

In March 2008, while trading as Auto Transform, the garage was attacked by a gunman who fired four bullets from a handgun into the workshop.

A mechanic and the manager, who were working on a car at the time, escaped injury as the gunman and his accomplice ran off.

All of the men who were arrested have been released on police bail.