POLICE swooped on two scrapyards yesterday as part of a major crackdown on metal thefts.

Search teams, detectives and specialist health and safety officers raided Smiths of Bloxham in Milton Road and TR Rogers and Sons in Nuneham Courtenay.

They also searched four houses associated with Smiths and two homes connected with TR Rogers in Faringdon and Wallingford.

However, Thames Valley Police refused to reveal more specific locations of the addresses because of “operational reasons”.

The swoop was part of 16 coordinated raids by hundreds of police officers across the Thames Valley about 10.30am yesterday.

Det Ch Supt Brendan O’Dowda, below, confirmed 32 people were arrested and were last night being questioned by police.

The investigation – dubbed Operation Symphony – targeted six scrap metal dealers in Thames Valley, Middlesex and Hertfordshire and a further 10 addresses connected with them.

Four people were arrested in Bloxham and police officers on the scene at Nuneham Courtenay said arrests had been made there, but it was unclear last night how many.

Because of the large number of arrests made police were unable to give further information about the people arrested or the offences for which they were held on suspicion of committing until this morning.

The scenes at Bloxham and Nuneham Courtenay were sealed off overnight and police teams are due to be back there today.

Det Ch Supt Brendan O’Dowda said: “The operation is the culmination of an on-going investigation that has been carried out by Thames Valley Police to target not only the theft of scrap metal, but the channels that thieves are using to dispose of the stolen metal.

“Thames Valley Police is committed to combating this, one of the fastest growing types of crime – a crime that threatens public and community safety and national infrastructure.

“The theft of high value metal is enormously impactive to individuals, especially the more vulnerable in our communities, schools, churches, energy companies and transportation networks.”

Nuneham Courtenay parish councillor Jasminder Love said: “Local villagers have been asking me what’s going on down in the village questioning what’s happening.”

But Mrs Love added the parish council worked hard to support businesses in the village and said that the scrap metal dealer Terry Rogers was well-known and liked.

Villager Peter Brooks said: “It’s a big yard and it’s always kept nice and tidy.

“Terry’s always donating to the village hall – he’s always been good to the village.”

In Bloxham Philip Cavill, vice- chairman of the parish council, said: “I’m aware looking at the news that scrapyards are being watched.

“I would be gobsmacked if Smiths was involved.”

Responding to news of the raids, Banbury MP Tony Baldry said: “I think it’s really important and very welcome that Thames Valley Police has committed such significant resources to tackling metal thefts because it’s a despicable crime.

“There have been numerous communities in my patch, such as Launton, where lead has been stolen off church roofs.

“It’s extremely important the police follow the evidence wherever it leads.”

It was not clear last night what items police had seized.