MORE than 120 police officers stormed a travellers' site in Chiseldon during a dawn raid.

A gang of Irish travellers living at the site in the quiet village were believed to be behind a caravan-stealing operation worth more than £5m.

Officers from across Wiltshire and specialist search teams and dog handlers entered the Chiseldon Firs site at 7.15am yesterday, following a 45-minute briefing at Gablecross police station.

Dressed in riot gear and full body armour, officers guarded each of the 15 mobile homes and caravans at the site, before each one was individually and methodically searched for evidence.

After each caravan was searched, the occupants were allowed to leave one by one and identify themselves before being placed in handcuffs.

Officers checked each of the names against the list of arresting suspects on their list, wanted for the caravan theft and money laundering.

During the next nine hours officers carried out fingertip searches of the entire site, looking for evidence of stolen property, large quantities of cash, vehicle documents and other paperwork and tools used to commit crimes.

Twelve people were arrested on suspicion of various offences.

The Chiseldon raid was part of Operation Club, a two and a half year investigation into millions of pounds worth of caravan thefts by Irish travellers involving 19 police forces.

At exactly the same time as the Chiseldon raid, officers knocked on the doors of caravans around the country to carry out similar searches.

Officers from Thames Valley Police also working on Operation Club stormed traveller sites at Bicester in Oxfordshire and Slough in Berkshire, while a fourth site in south Nottinghamshire was also raided. Four people were arrested in Bicester, two arrested in Nottinghamshire and a further two in Slough.

Across the country 20 people were arrested for offences, including suspicion of stealing caravans and money laundering. Cash and assets totalling between £250,000 and £500,000 were seized.

Supt Paul Williams from Wiltshire Police said: "This is an ongoing two and a half year operation involving 19 police forces, coordinated by Wiltshire Police. This enquiry is in relation to stolen caravans and associated criminality.

"This site is the largest of the four being searched.

"This is serious organised crime, so there is no way all the people we want would be in situ at one site.

"In excess of 120 officers have been involved in Chiseldon.

"We were not only looking for police offences, we have also been working with other agencies such as HM Customs, Department of Work and Pensions, the RSPCA and other bodies.

"There is no suggestion everybody on the Chiseldon Firs site is a criminal. One of the main aims today was to target specific individuals and that's what we have done."

Officers confirmed some of the suspects they were after were found in Chiseldon.

During the day a caravan was towed away, vehicles impounded and other property seized. Also during the raid, RSPCA animal welfare officers were called in to look after a number of animals found in poor health.

One lurcher-type dog was whining in pain when found locked in the back of a trailer, covered in faeces, with scars on its legs and no food.

The RSPCA also checked the health of another two dogs and a pony at the site.