The owner of a Bushey breaker’s yard has hit out at police, after his business was raided.

Graham Snell, who owns Scavengers Car Breakers in Rossway Drive, was one of several scrap merchants raided by police under Operation Devon, which is aimed at tackling metal theft.

From the raid, which took place on Wednesday, April 18, four people were arrested, and suspected stolen metal, a stolen car and a dangerous dog were recovered. Two men, arrested for theft and handling stolen goods are currently on bail, while the two other men are being dealt with by the border agency for immigration offences.

But for Mr Snell, who claims he operates a legitimate and legal business, says his yard should never have been raided in the first place.

He said: "I really think it’s about time the police looked at their intelligence.

"There are several different scrap businesses that operate from Rossway Drive and every single one of them was raided.

"Now, for those of us who have been operating within the law, raiding our businesses has a huge impact.

"Not only do we lose a day’s work, but the following day I’ve had to clear up all the mess the police have left behind. There were papers scattered all over my office.

"I wasn’t able to take calls while they were doing the raid, so I’ve had to turn away business.

"Other owners I have spoken to have reported damage to their locks, a further cost.

"But worst of all it gives us all a bad reputation. As soon as people see or hear that we’ve been raided they think we’re up to no good. It’s not the case."

According to Mr Snell, this is the third time his business has been raided since 2001.

He said: "And each time the police have found that I am operating my business legitimately.

"Why don’t police find out who has been breaking the law and raid their businesses - not people who abide by the law and are just trying to make a living."

Hertfordshire Constabulary representatives said they appreciated business was lost by all owners on the day of the raid, but this had to be balanced with the need to investigate possible criminal activity.

Hannah Williams, police spokeswoman, said: "The Bushey Breaker site consists of a number of different businesses which change hands on a regular basis and are often let and sub-let.

"Unfortunately, the intelligence provided to police whilst specific to the location was not specific enough to target one business.

"The warrant can only go ahead if it is approved by a magistrate, who in this case deemed it necessary to proceed, based on the intelligence presented.

"We were able to allow businesses to continue on the site once we had checked their premises and whilst we appreciate there would be an impact on legitimate businesses, the nature of the site required it to be secure whilst the search was carried out. "A number of locks were cut in order to gain access to the different business premises. Before leaving the site all of these properties were provided with new locks and were left fully secured.

"Following the operation we will be working more closely with the businesses on the site to build relationships and allow better flow of information about who may be committing crime on an individual basis, which we hope will negate the need for a large scale warrant in the future.

"It is in the interest of all legitimate businesses on the site to ensure those who would seek to hide criminal activity there are identified to the police so that we can act quickly and in a more focused way."