Police patrolled the streets in a crackdown on car crime.

The borough-wide operation saw more than 20 officers patrolled on foot, bicycle and in marked and unmarked police cars for a period of seven hours on Friday into the early hours of Saturday.

Officers stopped and searched a total of 52 individuals during the operation, billed as the first of its kind in the borough.

The motor vehicle team was drawn from CID, crime squad, Safer Transport Team, Safer Neighbourhoods Teams and Special Constables and was run by Sergeant Rachel Hooper-Smith and Inspector Andy Brittain.

Insp Brittain said: “It obviously worked and had the desired impact.

“We didn’t receive any reports of vehicle crimes during the operation.”

A police spokesman said further initiatives were planned in the coming days and months.

During July a crackdown on drink driving and other motoring offences lead to more than 100 drivers being breath tested, 12 vehicles being seized for having no insurance and about 15 tickets being issued for a variety of traffic and motoring offences.