POLICE in Kidlington have been out with a licence plate recognition device to try to catch copper and lead thieves.

Officers stationed themselves at the A4260 and B4030 crossroads, near the Hop-crofts Holt Service Station.

They had received intelligence that the area was a thoroughfare for metal burglars, and spent two hours at the location.

They stopped a number of vehicles on Wednesday morning to check that vehicles and their drivers all had the correct paperwork.

Police also used the licence plate recognition device to see if vehicles had been correctly taxed and insured and were not linked to crime.

The police conducted a similar operation about a month ago.

Sergeant Colin Travi said: “People are either getting the message and getting the right paperwork or we were unlucky.”

But he said the operation had been worth doing because it was “disrupting activity” and “taking the fight” to the criminals.

He said his team would conduct a similar operation in the next month at a different location.