SIX men from Thanet were arrested in a series of dawn raids as police cracked down on metal thefts.

Officers discovered thousands of pounds worth of lead and cable – some of which was being stripped for its copper – when they burst into a Ramsgate scrap yard.

Police raided two business premises and eight homes across the district on Wednesday.

They estimate more than £200,000 worth of metal has been stolen in Thanet in the past year alone.

Deputy Chief Constable Alan Pughsley said: "The theft of metal is bringing misery to thousands.

"Householders are being left without power and light, and businesses are unable to function when telephone cables are torn out of the ground.

"Even the rail network has been disrupted.

"Thieves have even been known to rip brass plaques off memorials dedicated to those who have died fighting in wars."

The Wednesday raids followed a six-month surveillance of scrap dealers across Kent.