Car parts, cannabis and cloned plates found at Black Country chop shop

The Ford Fiesta had been stolen in Lye on Wednesday and then, after a tip-off about its location in Brierley Hill, officers closed in on the unit. Spotting the police, a man ran from the premises and in a failed bid for freedom entered a cafe and pretended to be a customer.

However, officers saw through the escape bid and arrested him on suspicion of car theft and then raided the Station Drive unit.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "Inside the unit were bodyshells from several stolen cars, including another Fiesta stolen in Coventry on February 3, a BMW taken in Wolverhampton the following day, and a Skoda Octavia stolen in Leicestershire on New Year’s Eve.

’We’ve also recovered number plates from more stolen vehicles, cloned plates, and an array of parts we suspect have been ‘chopped’ from stolen cars."

Vehicle experts are now meticulously going through the car parts to try and piece together evidence to link them to car thieves.

Vehicle examiner Boyd Howells said: "It’s quite a small unit but it’s packed with stolen vehicle parts…all the signs are this is a significant criminal operation. So far we've identified at least 15 stolen vehicles linked to the premises.

"There are hundreds or parts, mainly from Fiestas but also BMWs, and we’ll be looking to link these to offences across the region and beyond."

He added: "We also found a small cannabis production set-up at the unit."

A 34-year-old man has been bailed while police conduct further enquiries and forensically examine the recovered vehicle parts.

Vehicle theft has increased by 37 per cent in recent months and West Midlands Police suspect many of the vehicles taken end up in chop shops where they are dismantled for parts.

The police are now urging anyone who suspects a unit or garage is handling stolen vehicles or acting as a chop shop to get in touch so they can take action.

Tell-tale chop shop signs:

• 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 left outside

To report suspicions either contact police either via Live Chat on the West Midlands Police website between 8am to midnight or by calling 101 anytime.

Alternatively, the independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.