A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the theft of £4,000 of zinc from a factory in Oswestry.

Police today said the man, arrested this week, was interviewed and released on bail pending further inquiries. He is due to report back to police next month.

West Mercia’s Project Livewire initiative aims to tackle metal thefts. There has been a sharp rise in thefts of metals following a worldwide increase in price and scrap values.

Officers on the special Livewire operation say criminals are targeting building sites, farms, churches, schools, HGVs and a variety of other sources to steal metal such as copper, aluminium and steel.

Items such as pipes, road drain covers and even road signs are being taken.

Part of Project Livewire involves officers visiting scrap metal dealers to inspect their books and encourage businesses to become licensed.

Stop checks are also being carried out on vehicles transporting metal with police officers checking drivers for the correct documentation.

Acting Detective Inspector Mark Stringer said: “We want the public to call us with information if they see metal being stolen or have information about someone trying to sell metal in suspicious circumstances.

“This is not only a problem in the West Mercia area but across the country. Some of the larger thefts are carried out by organised criminal groups operating at a national level, although we have recorded a number of opportunistic crimes.”