Diggers, watches, whisky and cars seized in raid

Officers discovered a dozen diggers during a raid in Rochdale

"Significant intelligence" has led to more than 40 stolen vehicles, including a Range Rover worth £80,000 and 12 diggers, being seized in a raid, police have said.

Greater Manchester Police said officers recovered 43 vehicles, including a £40,000 VW Tiguan, a Land Rover Defender taken from Rochdale Council and a number of vans and caravans, from a site on Swaindrod Lane in Rochdale on Thursday.

Five Rolex watches, a Tag Heuer watch and seven bottles of limited edition Macallan whisky and £5,000 in cash were also seized.

The force said three men, aged between 30 and 59, and a woman in her fifties were arrested on suspicion of theft and money laundering offences and later bailed pending further investigations.

Officers said vehicles had been stolen from Bury and Rochdale

Boxes of limited edition whisky were also found during the raid

Sgt Jay-Naren Singh said the raid was a result of "great proactive work shown by our officers".

"We had significant intelligence to suggest that these vehicles were indeed stolen from different areas in Bury and Rochdale respectively, and we acted quickly to make sure we recovered as many of those as we possibly could," he said.

He said that the force's stolen vehicle examination unit had helped officers "identify a number of vehicles which have had their identity changed", which was done by "changing the number plates and/or the stamped-in vehicle identification number".

"There are steps drivers can take to protect their vehicles and make it harder for opportunistic thieves," he added.

"If you have a keyless entry car, please keep your keys in your property and well away from your parking space, consider purchasing a Faraday Pouch or steering wheel lock – which is proven to be a brilliant deterrent."