THREE suspected car thieves have been arrested as part of an investigation into the theft of dozens of cars.

The men, aged 27, 28 and 25 were all arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal vehicles in Kearsley this morning.

Officers from the Proactive Vehicle Crime Unit have searched houses on Tigg Fold Road, Beech Avenue and Church Road as part of Operation Groundhog - the codename given to this nine-month long investigation.

Operation Groundhog was launched to combat opportunistic car thieves who use the cold weather to seize the chance to commit crime.

Labelling themselves "Ice Bandits", the thieves persistently steal cars whose owners leave them unattended with the engines still running during cold weather to keep the car "ticking over".

Since January 2008, it is believed the Ice Bandits have been responsible for the theft of more than 40 cars worth over £500,000.

The thefts have been carried out throughout Greater Manchester and the northwest, with thefts being reported as far afield as Leeds.

Each time, the offenders wait for the victim to leave the car running but unattended, often as they go into a shop, to use a cash point or to go back into their homes.

They then steal the car and drive it a short distance where they park it and leave it for several hours. This is to determine whether the car has a tracking device fitted.

If nobody comes to find the car they return and fit false plates.

They then sell it for thousands of pounds.

Often the stolen cars go on to be used in further violent crime.

The three men are currently in custody for questioning.

Superintendent Andy Durkin, who is based in Bolton, said: "Today's action should go a long way to disrupt the activity of these serious criminals, and is the culmination of months of hard work by officers.

"The men responsible for these crimes have sold stolen cars on to other criminals who are far more vicious in their methods.

"They don't care about this however, they are simply in it for money.

"We will continue to work to catch and charge these prolific car thieves, but we also hope today's action will highlight this crime and encourage people to be more careful when leaving their cars unattended.

"It is tempting to start your car engine running on a frosty morning before you're ready to leave, but people must realise that car thieves purposefully drive around residential areas looking for these unattended vehicles, as they take only a few seconds to steal."

He added: "emperatures are really starting to drop now, so please heed our safety messages, and don't become a victim of this crime.

"It is bad enough losing your car, but often insurance companies will not pay out in this situation, and that would make for a pretty miserable Christmas."