Seven men are to be sentenced for their role in a stolen machinery operation valued at more than £1 million.

The men, who all appeared at Preston Crown Court, were involved in the handling, cloning and sale of stolen machinery, with several of them also being concerned with illegal money laundering.

The stolen machines ranged from one tonne dumper trucks to 22 tonne excavators, with the values ranging from around £10,000 to in excess of £100,000 per machine.

They were stolen from across the United Kingdom between 2015 and 2018, although many were taken from the North West, and came into the possession of the defendants swiftly after the thefts, being sold on within a few days or weeks.

Prosecuting, Ben Lawrence said the operation was headed up by 35-year-old Max Wynn, of Inchfield, Worsthorne, who recruited a number of other men, including his brother, Richard, 47, to help him clone the vehicles, source buyers, and then launder the money from the sales through genuine and fake companies.

The evidence in the case relates to 46 machines, which were mainly stolen from construction sites and compounds before being taken to a unit on the Lomeshaye Industrial Estate in Nelson, where they were then cloned for onward sale.

The cloning involved altering the plates, labelling them with new stickers, obliterating the stamp pins and serial numbers by sanding or grinding, and replacing them with numbers found online, as well as covering them with false paint work, with very few people noticing there was anything untoward.

Between 2015 and 2018, Max Wynn also recruited Alex Grice and Karl Langley to help him clone the machinery, and Craig Douglas, who helped source one of the machines - an £80,000 excavator.

Meanwhile, Gavin Mellor, who had met Richard Wynn in prison, was recruited as a middle man to help launder money through several companies, which were later found never to have paid VAT or filed tax returns.

Gavin Mellor then persuaded his father, Ian Mellor to become involved, who used his legitimate companies and accounts to launder money, in a convoluted manner, and withdraw clean cash for Max Wynn.

Gavin Mellor was paid “wages” for his services and Ian Mellor also retained/spent money as payment for his services.

The court heard Max Wynn would use the proceeds of the sale of stolen machines to make cash withdrawals (for the purchase of further machines), to spend on debit cards and to make transfers to family members and associates.

It was also heard Max Wynn bought himself designer clothes, paid for holidays to Spain, and bought a motorcycle with the money he made.

In September 2017, police raided the unit in Nelson and found two machines as well as grinding equipment, cloning equipment, PIN plates and a stealth mobile phone used by Max Wynn.

In another unit in Clayton-le-Moors they found three more stolen machines worth more than £100,000.

Max Wynn pleaded guilty to conspiring to handle stolen goods, converting criminal property and entering into or becoming concerned in acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property.

Richard Wynn, 45, of Ravenoak Lane, Worsthorne, was found guilty at trial of conspiring to handle stolen goods.

Karl Langley, 44, of Lower Skirt Green, Halifax, pleaded guilty to three counts of handling stolen goods.

Alex Grice, 34, of Coleshill Avenue, Burnley, pleaded guilty to conspiring to handle stolen goods.

Craig Douglas, 42, of Skip Colt Green, Halifax, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods.

Gavin Mellor, 53, of Dyneley Lane, Burnley, pleaded guilty to entering into or becoming concerned in acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property.

And Ian Mellor, 73, of Pen-y-Ian, Rurbon, Wrexham, pleaded guilty to entering into or becoming concerned in acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property.

The prosecution offered no evidence in relation to two other defendants, Jill Mellor, and Mark Smorthit.

They will all be sentenced tomorrow (Tuesday, March 7).