A Bolton scrap metal merchant has expressed his anger after being arrested by the police for having stolen copper cable worth £40 in his yard.
Sean Chadwick was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods last week after police found cable belonging to BT at the bottom of a skip at S C Chadwick and Sons in Bolton.
Police later decided to take no further action and he was released without charge.
However, after his arrest he was placed in a police cell while his home was searched. He was also tested for drug use.
Sean Chadwick said to the Bolton News newspaper: “I find it unbelievable the way I’ve been treated over such a small amount of cable. My name has been dragged through the mud.
“We’ve traded since 1944 and to be treated like this is just not acceptable. We are a respectable business.
“The common perception is that every scrap yard is dodgy, and we work hard to get away from that image. This is a multi-million pound recycling operation.”
The stolen material was found at the bottom of a skip that had been sent to S C Chadwick and Sons from another yard to use its wire stripping equipment.
