POLICE will be visiting scrap metal dealers across Cambridgeshire today as part of a national drive to reduce thefts.

The visits, part of the force’s Operation Gandalf, will be made to at least three sites from noon, including two in Peterborough and one in March.

About 15 police officers will be joined by representatives from SmartWater, British Telecom, the Environment Agency, Peterborough City Council, British Transport Police and Norfolk Constabulary.

Det Insp Sharon Dence said: “We are looking to work with scrap metal sites to reduce the number of thefts.

“People steal metal such as underground copper cable or lead from church roofs and cause a lot of disruption and inconvenience because they are able to dispose of it.

“I want to make it a lot harder for this market to operate and we are working with all our partners to achieve this.

“We will be informing dealers about how they can best help us tackle this type of crime.” Metal theft is a huge problem across the county with thieves even risking their lives to steal copper wiring off train tracks.

Recent metal thefts in Cambridgeshire have included copper cabling and lead from church roofs.

Anyone with information about metal theft should contact police on 101, or if a crime is in progress, 999.