Evidence of over 20 stolen cars found at Brierley Hill chop shop

Bodyshells of stolen cars were found at the site

Parts of more than 20 suspected stolen cars have been found at a so-called "chop shop".

Officers made the discovery at an industrial site off Station Drive, Brierley Hill, after spotting a Ford Fiesta taken there the previous day.

Inside, it said, officers found evidence a total of 22 were taken there to be dismantled.

A 34-year-old man arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft is on bail while investigations continue.

Chop shops are illicit garages where stolen cars are stripped for their parts.

The force said bodyshells were found from a Fiesta stolen in Coventry on 3 February, a BMW taken in Wolverhampton the following day, and a Skoda Octavia stolen in Leicestershire on New Year's Eve.

Car parts and cloned number plates were found at the chop shop, the force said

Officers also found a partially-charred school ID badge belonging to the owner of a Mercedes 180 AMG which was taken at knifepoint in Wolverhampton on 23 November.

It also found parts linked to 10 Ford Fiestas and five BMWs, mostly stolen from the West Midlands but also including a Fiesta taken in Cannock, Staffordshire, on 28 October.

The force said it is the biggest chop shop identified in recent months.

It is urging people to support its car crime campaign by reporting any suspicious behaviour at garages or industrial units that could indicate they are acting as chop shops.

This can include noise late at night, vehicles not coming back out of workshops and large amounts of car parts being stored.