An Accrington man has been arrested as part of a one million pound Land Rover theft investigation

Officers have arrested five men as part of their on-going investigation following a spate of Land Rover thefts across East of Lancashire earlier this year.

High value Land Rover Discoveries, Evoques and Defenders, all with keyless ignitions, were targeted in the spate of thefts, with over 40 cars thought to have been stolen. In some cases attempts to take the cars were unsuccessful and to date 6 vehicles have been recovered.

It is thought that the total value of the vehicles stolen could be in excess of £1 million.

A 31-year-old Accrington man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and has been until November 4.

Three men from Blackburn aged 19, 25 and 45 and a 31-year-old Darwen man have also been arrested and bailed pending further enquiries.

DS Zoe Russo, of Burnley CID, said: “We launched our investigation into these thefts earlier this year and have spent months following numerous lines of enquiry. These arrests come as part of the latest stage of the investigation and I would urge anyone with any further information about the thefts, who has not come forward already, to get in touch with us.

“I would also urge motorists to always take security measures to ensure that their vehicles are not a target for thieves. Where possible park your vehicle in a garage overnight and look at using visible deterrents such as steering wheel and pedal locks, as well as other security measures including disk locks and clutch claws.”

Anyone with information should contact Lancashire Police on 101.