Three men arrested as a suspected chop shop is discovered in Oldbury

West Midlands Police has made arrests and seized suspected stolen vehicles after officers discovered a suspected chop shop in Oldbury.

In the early hours of Saturday morning (August 30), officers executed a warrant at a unit on Tat Bank Road. This followed a call from a member of the public reporting suspicious activity.

Following a search of the premises police found several suspected stolen car parts and documents related to vehicles reported as stolen.

These have been seized for forensic examination.

Three men, aged 39, 29, and 17 were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle. They have since been bailed pending further enquiries.

A spokesperson for WMP said: “Teams across West Midlands Police regularly carry out warrants and enforcement action targeting known vehicle crime hotspots.

“Chop shops are illegal garages where stolen vehicles are dismantled for parts and are linked to vehicle crime gangs.”

Tell-tale signs of a chop shop could include:

• Noise coming from units late at night or in the early hours of the morning;

• Vehicles that look out of place going in to workshops and not coming back out;

• Large amounts of car parts being stored, sometimes in odd places such as gardens;

• Shipping containers in unusual locations;

• Expensive items such as engines and gearboxes outside workshops;

• High value vehicles in and around workshops/units where they just don’t fit in

To report any suspicious activity in your area please call police on 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.