THREE teenage boys have been arrested on suspicion of burglary in the early hours of this morning.

A helicopter and police dogs carried out a search Winsford after reports that a number of unknown men were seen trying to break into cars.

Police were alerted at around 4.50am this morning, Wednesday, following reports of suspicious activity.

A search was also carried out in Alsager after reports of a suspected burglary.

Three boys, one aged 15 and two aged 16, from the Stoke on Trent area, were subsequently arrested on suspicion of burglary.

The trio are currently being held in police custody and are assisting detectives with their enquiries.

The arrests follow reports of three car and key burglaries at addresses on Dane Place, Alt Walk, and Thames Place in Winsford and a burglary at an address on Hassall Road, Alsager.

The incidents are believed to have occurred sometime between 2am and 6am this morning, Wednesday.

Leading the investigation, Detective Sergeant Thomas Binder said: “I hope these arrests provide reassurance to the local community, demonstrating that we are committed to doing all we can to tackle this type of crime.

“We have followed a number of extensive enquiries which has led to three local teenagers being arrested, however this investigation remains very much ongoing.

"While our enquiries continue, I urge anyone who was in the area at the time and believes they may have witnessed the incident, or may have seen anything suspicious or unusual, to get in touch.

"The same goes for anyone with any CCTV or dashcam footage that may be relevant to our investigation.

“I would also remind residents to keep their homes secure and always lock their windows and doors.”

If you have any information, no matter how small, please call us on 101, quoting IML 1664865 or give the details via cheshire.police.uk/tell-us.

Alternatively, information can be reported anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.