POLICE have cracked a £200,000 car-cutting scam believed to involve stolen vehicles from across the North-East.

Officers uncovered the “chop shop” following raids on four premises in east Durham – involving Land Rovers, Nissan Jukes, Audi A5s and Vauxhall Corsas, which have been stripped to individual parts.

Police say some of the vehicles may also have been stolen from further afield, including from other parts of the Peterlee Police officers discovered thousands of car parts in a 300ft-long shed in allotments off Low Hogg Street, Trimdon Colliery, after raiding three houses in the village on Monday night.

No one was at any of the addresses, and police are still trying to find those responsible.

Sergeant Ian Dickinson, of Peterlee Police, said: “This is one of the biggest set-ups of this kind that I have seen.
 “A lot of these cars could be from Hartlepool and East Durham, as well as the County Durham, Cleveland and Northumbria areas.

“They have been broken down into different parts and stripped ready to be sold on.”

Anyone with information about the operation, or any others of its kind, is urged to the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555-111.