A VAN with tinted windows used to transport stolen scrap metal will be crushed after police seized it during an investigation.

Officers stopped the yellow Ford Transit van and arrested three men on suspicion of metal theft.

The 23-year-old and 25-year-old men from Clayton-le-Moors and a 53-year-old man from Rishton are suspected of stealing scrap metal from gardens in the Wordsworth Road area of Accrington.

Operation Thistle is the latest crackdown by police on scrap metal dealers and collectors.

Letter have been sent to 32 of the most prolific thieves saying they are being watched.

Sergeant Simon Holderness said: “We often receive reports about seemingly legitimate metal collectors who are making off with metal from private yards and I appeal to the public to keep their yards clear of items that would attract thieves.

"I also urge people to be vigilant and to report any activity like this to us, as it is happening.”