17 November 2011 Last updated at 11:26 ET

South Yorkshire Police crack down on metal thefts

BBC Look North went on a series of metal theft raids with the police across South Yorkshire

Over £25,000 worth of stolen metal has been recovered by South Yorkshire Police in a five-day crackdown.

The force, which is targeting Rotherham, said it had made more than 20 arrests during its intelligence-based operation.

Across South Yorkshire metal thefts have doubled since January, to over 500 reported thefts a month.

In October police figures showed the number of metal thefts reported in Sheffield was up by 72% in five years.