9:00 am, September 22, 2025
Police in Yorkshire have closed down a suspected ‘chop shop’ which was stripping down stolen cars and selling them on.
Officers in Barnsley carried out the raid after officials from the local council located a suspected stolen car during a routine visit of local business premises.
Acting on the tip off, police attended the scene, on Barrowfield Road, where they confirmed that the vehicle in question had recently been reported as stolen.
They also found a second stolen vehicle at the site with a search of the premises uncovering multiple car parts, which are believed to have been stripped from stolen vehicles.
Confirming that the illegal operation has now been shut down, Sergeant Paul Aston, from the Barnsley South East Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: ‘We had received reports of suspicious activity around this premise and were building up our intelligence picture.
‘Our colleagues from the council regularly conduct checks on areas or land which is owned by the council, and do often feedback to us if they see anything suspicious or that they think we should be aware of.
‘Without these checks, we often can’t build up as much intelligence around illegal activity.’
Car Dealer has reported on a number of similar ‘chop shops’ which have been closed down across the country over recent years.
The term is used to describe an area where stolen cars are taken apart so that their parts can be sold separately.
Similar sites in Surrey, Rotherham, Essex and Norfolk have been closed down since last November alone.
A 41-year-old man was arrested at the scene in Barnsley on suspicion of handling stolen goods and theft of a motor vehicle. He has been bailed while enquiries continue.
Sergeant Aston added: ‘Criminals looks to use these chop shops to quickly move on stolen cars to gain profit, or use them in illegal activity.
‘This find was significant for our officers and we are working hard to investigate further into this.’
