Police find £300k of stolen cars at 'chop shop'

1 October 2025

Harriet HeywoodCambridgeshire

News image — The owner of a BMW said he had tracked his vehicle to the industrial site

Cambridgeshire Police Three brightly marked police vehicles parked side by side in front of a large green metal building. The vehicles have bold yellow and blue checkerboard patterns and the word "POLICE" clearly visible on the back. Each has a light bar on the roof and belongs to a specialist Roads Crime Team. A red motorcycle is parked near the building in the background. The scene is outdoors and brightly lit by sunlight. — The owner of a BMW said he had tracked his vehicle to the industrial site

More than £300,000 worth of stolen vehicles have been found in a "sophisticated chop shop," police have said.

A Porsche Taycan, Range Rover and several BMWs were all discovered inside an industrial unit on St Neots Road in Madingley, Cambridgeshire, on Monday.

Officers said they were taken from across London, Scotland and Essex.

Cambridgeshire's rural crime action team said they used enhanced tracking systems to bypass the jamming devices and recover the stolen vehicles.

Cambridgeshire Police The inside of a large warehouse with a high metal roof supported by red beams. The floor is made of concrete and looks dusty. On the left side, there are piles of car parts and scrap metal stacked against the wall. At the back, there are more car parts, a stack of tires, and some cardboard boxes. On the right side near the entrance, there are more parts and possibly some machinery. Natural light is coming in from an open door making the space fairly bright. — Sgt Tom Nuttall said "this was clearly a highly organised, sophisticated operation"

The discovery was made after police were called at about 03:00 BST on Monday.

The owner of a BMW, whose car had been stolen from London, said its tracking system had indicated it was near a farm in Madingley.

Officers traced the vehicle to an industrial unit where they discovered the BMW and nine other stolen vehicles.

They also found a professional jamming device used to block tracking signals.

Cambridgeshire Police A black and red toolbox with a large electronic device placed on top. The device has many upright metal rods, resembling antennas, arranged in rows. The device acts as a signal jammer. Wires run from the device to a smaller electronic part on the ground nearby. It is in a concrete area. — A professional jamming device, used to block tracking signals in cars, was found at the unit

Sgt Tom Nuttall, from the rural crime action team, said: "This was clearly a highly organised, sophisticated operation, equipped with advanced technology to obstruct our efforts, and utilising a farm to hide their operation."

The investigation was ongoing, he said.

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