Three men were arrested in dawn swoops by police investigating the theft of historic York stones from eight church graveyards. A series of warrants were executed in Greater Manchester under the Cheshire Police operation.
Officers swooped on addresses in Middleton, Oldham and Rochdale. Three men - aged 48, 31 and 28 - were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit theft from eight church graveyards, Cheshire Police said.
They remained in police custody last night assisting officers with their enquiries.
In a statement on Wednesday, Cheshire Police said: "Officers from Cheshire Constabulary have arrested three men following a series of warrants in Greater Manchester as part of an ongoing investigation to the theft of historic York stones.
"At around 7am today, Wednesday 27 July, officers from Cheshire Constabulary's rural crime team were assisted by colleagues from Lancashire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester Police to conduct warrants at addresses in Middleton, Oldham and Rochdale.
"Three men aged 48, 31 and 28 were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit theft from eight church graveyards and are currently assisting police with their enquiries.
"The arrests form part of an ongoing investigation into the theft of York paving stones from historic buildings across the North West, including St Mary's Church in Astbury and St Peter's and St Paul's in Ormskirk."
Video footage of the raids and the men held being led away was released by the force on Twitter. Pc Rob Stordy, from Cheshire Constabulary's rural crime team, said on a video: "We've conducted a number of warrants with Greater Manchester Police.
"These warrants are in response to a series of York stone thefts across the North West, East and West Midlands since the beginning of the year. We're committed to working with other agencies to soften our borders and make Cheshire a hostile environment for criminals to operate within."
He added: "Not only do thefts of historic stone destroy our rich history, but it impacts the heart of our rural communities.
"It’s important that we collaborate with other forces to investigate these crimes, share information and work together to get justice for our rural communities.
"I want to make it known that Cheshire is and will continue to be a hostile environment for those intent on committing heritage crime and I hope our efforts today demonstrate our pursuit in disrupting criminality by using any means necessary."
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