Ten arrested after stolen car owner leads police to Grays chop shop
More than 80 vehicles were found at an industrial estate in Thurrock
Ten people have been arrested after a man who tracked down his own stolen car led police to a suspected chop shop in Grays.
The car's owner had travelled to Essex from Oxfordshire after his vehicle was stolen, and spotted it parked at an industrial estate on St John's Road.
Rather than trying to get it back himself, he contacted the police.
Officers from Thurrock Neighbourhood Policing Team carried out a warrant at the site on Tuesday afternoon.
They made six arrests after discovering dozens of suspicious vehicles and piles of parts.
Four more men then turned up at the scene and were also arrested.
More than 80 vehicles were found in total.
So far, four of them have been confirmed as stolen, and an investigation is ongoing to track down the owners of the other cars and vans found there.
Chop shops are units where stolen cars are taken to be stripped down or have their identities altered before being sold on.
Nine of the 10 men arrested have since been released on bail.
No further action will be taken against the 10th man.
Police said it appears some of the workers were also living at the site in poor conditions, and safeguarding checks have been carried out.
PC Ellie Hawkins of Thurrock Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "The victim of the original theft did some good detective work and then did the sensible thing in contacting us rather than trying to retrieve the car himself.
"We found more than 80 vehicles at the site and the number of people working there shows this is a significant operation.
"It appears that some of the workers are also living there in pretty poor conditions, so we have done relevant safeguarding checks.
"What started off as a single theft has developed into a larger investigation that our Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit is now progressing."