TWO men and a woman have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to handle stolen goods following a series of police raids on Wednesday.

Mark Brookes, 32, and Marie Mavric, 26, of Angelica Avenue in Stotfold, and Andrew Battison, 22, of Birds Hill in Letchworth GC, will appear at Hatfield Remand Court this morning (Friday).

Two men, aged 23 and 37, from Letchworth GC were also arrested and have been police bailed until November 11.

Sixteen warrants were carried out on Wednesday under Herts Police’s Operation Scorpion, which targets burglars, robbers, vehicle thieves and related drug crime.

The operation involved 100 police officers, who carried out warrants at addresses in Baldock, Letchworth GC and Stotfold.

The raids follow an increase of break-ins to sheds, garages and outbuildings across North Herts.

Officers recovered over 200 items, including high value bicycles, tools, gardening equipment and a quad bike.

Detective Inspector Kay Lancaster said: “These arrests send out a message that we will not tolerate criminal activity in North Herts and we will tackle it head on with a robust response.

“This kind of operation will continue to take place across North Herts, and if you are involved in stealing and selling on goods illegally, or even buying them when you suspect they’ve come from a suspicious source, you should expect us to come knocking.

“We would also ask the public to let us know if they have any information about suspicious activity in their neighbourhood – have you been offered goods in dubious circumstances?

“If you know someone you suspect to be involved in criminal activity, get in touch with us via the police non-emergency number 101. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

“We are now working to identify the property we seized on Wednesday and, if and when it has been identified as stolen, we will work hard to get it back to its rightful owner.

“It’s also a really timely reminder to people to register their property on the free database immobilise.com”