THREE men have been arrested following a series of metal thefts in the Selby area.

They were charged following the attempted theft of scrap metal from a factory in Selby on Thursday, after police were called to Olympia Mills, the former BOCM Pauls site, in Barlby Road, just after 2pm.

When they arrived, officers found two men, aged 23 and 25, and a 16-year-old in an outbuilding on the site, in possession of a large amount of scrap metal.

The three men, who are all from the Humberside area, were all arrested on suspicion of burglary and later charged.

A police spokeswoman said the three men had been released on bail and were due to appear at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, August 18.

Another attempted theft took place in South Milford in the early hours of Friday, when offenders tried to steal about 1,500 metres of BT cable from a work site on the A162.

The thieves were interrupted by a member of the public at about 1.40am, and left the scene in a green Jeep Cherokee, which was later found abandoned in Sherburn-in-Elmet.

A police spokesman said officers were currently conducting forensic tests on the vehicle to try and identify and trace the offenders, and urged anyone with any information to come forward.

Sergeant Neil Dunn, of Selby Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “Although the suspects left the scene empty-handed, we are working hard to combat cable and metal thefts across the district, therefore it is important that we identify them.”

Anyone with information about metal or cable theft in Selby district, should phone Sgt Dunn on 0845 6060247.

Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be phoned anonymously on 0800 555111.