THIRTY video recorders were among a haul of stolen goods recovered by police officers following an anonymous tip-off .

The hoard, estimated to be worth between £12,000 and £15,000, was found at six addresses in Whitefield, Radcliffe, Heywood and Cheetham Hill. It included electrical items such as cameras, stereos and mobile phones well as toys, clothing and camping equipment. Five arrests have been made.

It is thought the loot was taken over a period of six to eight months from the Index warehouse at Heywood Distribution Park near Pilsworth.

Ten officers from Prestwich and Whitefield Townships were involved in the sting following a call to the CrimeStoppers hot-line. They raided one address after 30 video recorders were stolen from the catalogue company's premises during the course of a single weekend.

Sgt John Shaw, of Whitefield Township Police, said: "The tip-off was very vague and officers had very little information to build up a profile and we had obtained a search warrant for one address.

"Through the company we then found out that 30 videos had been taken in one weekend and this gave us the information we needed to act. It snowballed from there and we recovered a substantial amount of property from all the addresses."

The raids follow several successful initiatives by Township Officers such as Operation Badger during the Christmas periods and Operation Agriculture targeting car crime.

Sgt Shaw added: "We are very pro-active in the area and we will work on any information people give us. People who contact will be treated in confidence whether they phone us direct or contact CrimeStoppers."

Pictured with some of the haul is PC Chris Bridge, who was involved in the operation.

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