Puppies rescued by police in early morning vehicle-crime raid in Bedfordshire

Three puppies were rescued during an early-morning police raid to sniff out vehicle crime.

The animals were discovered in Billington near Leighton Buzzard on Thursday by Bedfordshire Police officers.

Officers rehomed the animals because of welfare concerns.

As well as the puppies, the team seized four stolen vehicles and 100 push bikes.

Suspected stolen power tools along with generators were also found stuffed in a vehicle by officers during the raid.

Three men - one in his 70s and two in their 40s - were arrested on suspicion of theft of motor vehicle offences committed outside of Bedfordshire and remain in police custody.

Ch Insp Mark Farrant said: "Crimes like burglary, theft and vehicle crime have a serious impact on our community and we will not stand for it.

“My team have worked incredibly hard on this operation and we will continue our efforts to find those responsible for committing crime across our county.

"We understand that there will be a lot of victims of crime who will understandably be eager to have their property returned. At this moment in time, please refrain from calling 101 so we can keep our lines open for those who need us."As soon as we are able to, we will be sharing details of how you can contact us."

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