Arrests made and property seized in metal theft clampdown in Somerset

Police have made arrests and seized property as part of their clampdown on metal thefts in Bristol, Somerset and Dorset.
Officers carried out stop checks on commercial vehicles and vans in an effort to identify stolen metal and disrupt any criminal activity in a week-long cross county operation.
A 37-year-old Gloucester man was arrested for theft and fraud following an incident at a waste centre in Bristol. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.
Search warrants were also carried out in Wiltshire and Somerset.
The Environment Agency's SW Environmental Crime Team, supported by Avon and Somerset and British Transport Police, carried out two warrants at properties near Shepton Mallet and in Sedgemoor.
The properties were trading as scrap dealers and waste sites and were unregistered and unlicensed.Three people, two men and a woman, were also arrested for suspected environmental offences and on suspicion of theft. A number of items were seized including high voltage power cable and catalytic converters.
Warrants also took place at yards near Chippenham, Melksham and Swindon.
A large amount of aluminium was seized from the raid near Chippenham and an investigation is now underway to trace where the metal came from.
Property was seized and arrests were also made in Dorset.
A quantity of BT cable and some heavy duty earthing cable were found by officers.
Further arrests were made in Avon and Somerset as they continue their latest "Relentless" on acquisitive crime.
A man was arrested on suspicion of theft of several bronze sculptures last week, one of the 575 arrests made so far.
Across the region, officers were also visiting scrap yards to make compliance checks as part of the on-going Operation Tornado, which launched in June.