Three Keighley men were among those arrested as part of a county-wide crackdown on scrap metal theft.

Police arrested 28 people across West Yorkshire last week, including a 74-year-old man, and seized £115,000. The three local arrests were at a scrap metal dealers in Keighley last Wednesday following raids on 10 West Yorkshire dealers.

Three men, aged 44, 28 and 37, were questioned on suspicion of handling stolen property. One was released without charge, one was charged and the other given police bail.

Assistant Chief Constable Geoff Dodd, in charge of local policing, said he was delighted with how the operation had gone. He said: “Nationally metal theft has become a big issue with thieves going after large-scale targets such as the transport infrastructure and small-scale items such as plaques marking the passing away of a loved one.”

Mr Dodd said that the majority of dealers worked with police to help stop the movement of stolen metal.

Other agencies, including BT, helped with the raid.

Simon Davies, BT Security’s general manager responsible for dealing with cable theft, said: “We welcome initiatives such as this, which are an important part of the campaign to beat cable thieves.”

Anyone spotting people acting suspiciously should call 101.