POLICE officers in Bury arrested eight people as part of a forcewide day of action to tackle vehicle crime.

Operation Battenberg, which took place last Friday, saw officers seize three vehicles, conduct a search warrant and, in conjunction with partner agencies, visit scrap and second hand car dealers.

High profile patrols were conducted in hotspot areas across Bury and officers identified and warned the owners of 40 vehicles that were left vulnerable to vehicle crime.

Police community support officers maintained a visible presence in the Tesco car park at Woodfield Retail Park, where they provided crime prevention advice to motorists.

Sergeant John Goldsmith, from the Bury public service team, said: “While Bury has some of the lowest incidents of vehicle crime in Greater Manchester the operation was designed to reinforce the crime prevention message.

“Amazingly we found people who had left items such as handbags and sat navs in full view in their vehicles.”