Police in Sutton stopped 15 vehicles and towed one away in an operation to target illegal vehicles.

In Wates Way on the Willow Lane Industrial Estate, police stopped drivers who they suspected of stealing metal, or driving without correct insurance.

The metropolitan police-wide operation was in response to a series of metal thefts around the capital, including the theft of war memorial plaques in Carshalton.

On December 14, Police seized a battered recovery truck for having no waste carriers licence and no insurance.

When officers checked inside the cab of the recovery truck they found a police sticker about the size of a tax disk, which the driver put on the windscreen ‘so people don’t touch the vehicle’.

The recovery vehicle was towing a small saloon car, which was detached and then pushed around the corner to the scrap metal dealership nearby.

During the first hour of the operation officers stopped 15 vehicles.

Four drivers tried to make off when they noticed the roadside checkpoint but were stopped.

Police used a plain clothes officer at the entrance to the estate to warn officers when a suspect was approaching. The team also used vehicle recognition equipment to catch wanted drivers.

Sargeant Nigel Martin, of Sutton's Safer Transport Team, said he was pleased with the early results of the initiative which was catching offenders and taking uninsured vehicles off local roads.

“We are determined to catch offenders and keep the streets safe,” he said.