Horncastle metal theft arrests

Two men have been arrested during the start of a police crackdown on metal thefts in part of Lincolnshire.

The county's force led a multi-agency operation in the Horncastle area aimed at tackling the increasing problem of metal theft.

Check points were set up at busy locations outside Horncastle, stopping and checking vehicles believed to be transporting scrap metal.

Two 18-year-old local men were arrested on suspicion of theft.

Sgt Rich Comins said: "There are two large scrap metal dealers and one smaller dealer in the town and so we see a large volume of traffic coming in to Horncastle to weigh-in scrap metal.

"The majority of loads will be perfectly legitimate scrap, but there will also undoubtedly be a number of people who visit the scrap dealers with lead, copper and other metals that have been procured through theft."