A THREE-DAY police crackdown aimed at ending a spate of arson attacks on cars resulted in 17 arrests over the weekend.

Officers say Operation Ovation struck at the heart of a ring of offenders in Hastings.

So far this year, 231 cars have been stolen in the town. Some 35 of them have been found burnt out.

On Friday, 22 officers took to the streets on the first night of the operation, concentrating mainly on the Hollington district.

Undercover officers directed patrol cars towards potential suspects, leading to a number of stop-checks.

The night-time operation continued throughout the weekend, concluding last night.

In total, 17 were arrested, many of whom were youths.

Sgt Alan Gates, who led the operation, said: "We are very pleased with the results of Operation Ovation.

"From our analysis, we found that a very high number of vehicles were being stolen and burnt out in Hollington, a number higher than anywhere else in Hastings and higher than many other parts of Sussex.

"We feel we have made significant in-roads in to this worrying trend and believe we may have arrested some of those at the heart of the problem.

"We shall continue to monitor the situation. The operation can be reinstated at any time."

Many of those arrested have been charged with a variety of motoring offences. Due to their age, they cannot be named.

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