Wigan police find 'chop-shop' with car parts worth more than £180,000

Officers from Wigan district tasking team and Merseyside Police joined forces to execute a search warrant in an industrial unit.

They found a car that had been stolen earlier in the week, along with parts from 14 other vehicles worth tens of thousands of pounds.

A police spokesman said: "A search of an industrial unit located a sophisticated 'chop-shop' operation being used to dispose of vehicles stolen from across the North of England.

"A high-value Mercedes Benz vehicle stolen earlier this week in a burglary in the Merseyside police area was recovered, and with assistance from the Greater Manchester Police vehicle examination unit, parts belonging to another 14 vehicles, with an estimated value of in excess of £180,000 were also identified. These vehicles were stolen from the Greater Manchester Police, Cheshire Police, West Yorkshire Police, Staffordshire Police and Merseyside Police areas, many during burglaries.

"In addition to vehicle parts, a number of personal possessions and tools that are believed to have been the contents of stolen vehicles were recovered for identification of further victims. An investigation will now take place to identify the owners to notify them of the recoveries and to identify those responsible."

Anyone with information which could help the investigation is asked to call police on 101 or use the Live Chat function on Greater Manchester Police's website, quoting incident reference 1854-25082021.

Alternatively, contact independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or go to www.crimestoppers-uk.org

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