More than £500k seized in police fraud raids

We are with a group of police officers on a road with rows of shops on either side.

At one of them, the officers are demanding those inside let them in - when they repeatedly refuse to do so, the police break the door down to get inside, where a man is handcuffed and taken to be searched.

This was part of a series of raids by West Mercia Police's Economic Crime Unit as it searched businesses in Evesham, Worcestershire, as part of a month-long, nationwide crackdown on fraud.

Throughout February, they seized more than £500,000 from firms suspected of being used to launder money.

Criminals use money laundering to make it look like the money they have from illegal activities has been legally earned.

"Fraud covers a wide range of offences and more and more we are seeing organised crime groups commit complex, well-structured and well-funded crimes," said the Det Insp Dan Fenn.

Businesses across Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire were targeted during the operation.

West Mercia Police said 18 bank accounts containing £487,000 were frozen and illegal goods with a street value of £29,720 as well as £8,000 in cash were seized.

Six people were also arrested for immigration offences.

"Intensified periods of action such as this...send a strong message to suspected criminals that no matter where you are, we can identify you and we will work hard to bring offenders to justice," said Det Insp Fenn.

Back at the shop in Evesham, police officers, accompanied by members of Worcestershire Trading Standards (WTS), found illegal oversized disposable vapes which contained several times the legal limit of vaping liquid.

A WTS officer, who asked not to be named, said the items were potentially dangerous.

"If you're going to use vapes then you should be using the legal ones," he said.

"You don't know quite what's in [these]."

Entering another shop down the road, police found more illegal goods in an upstairs flat - a holdall full of illegal vapes and tobacco.

Det Sgt Rachel O'Brien, who was involved in the raid, said targeting fraud in this way was hugely important.

"These shops are affecting the local economy," she explained.

"They're selling illicit goods and it is becoming a nationwide problem. So we hope to help combat that by keeping disrupting this activity.

"Hopefully the public can see that and see that we are taking local issues seriously."

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