Three arrested after police recover £100k-worth of stolen gas cannisters and building machinery

Officers discovered around £70,000-worth of suspected stolen gas cannisters and £30,000 of stolen building machinery and arrested three people.

Officers searched two addresses in the Canwell area yesterday (Thursday 14 March) working alongside Lichfield District Council’s Environmental Health Team and located an estimated £70.000-worth of suspected stolen gas cannisters from around the UK, a stolen industrial dump-truck, a stolen industrial road roller and around £3,000 in cash.

A 58-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, were arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen goods, and a 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods. All were from the Lichfield area. They have all being released on conditional bail while enquiries continue.

Inspector Paul Finlayson, from the Lichfield local policing team, said: “This is a significant seizure of suspected stolen property that has been made possible by working proactively with partners in the local area. Officers from Lichfield local policing team were supported by a number of officers from specialist teams within Staffordshire Police, including the Force Financial Investigation Unit, Roads Policing Unit, Dog Support Unit and the Priorities Team.

“Theft can have a profound impact on businesses and livelihoods and we will continue to target those responsible across Staffordshire as proactively as possible.

“We want to continue engaging with local communities and tackle the issues that matter most to local people and businesses.”