TWO men have been arrested and charged in connection with the theft of power tools and other items across the Borders.

The value of stolen property and damage to vehicles by the pair in the last year is estimated at around £110,000, as they were charged with a total of  67 crimes across Fife, Tayside the Lothians and the Borders. 

The arrests are part of Operation Delano, which is a joint operation investigating thieves who are targeting vans to gain entry and steal power tools.

Warrants were executed at various addresses in Edinburgh.

The men, both aged 22, have made their first appearance at Livingston Sheriff Court.

Detective Chief Inspector, Stephen Healy, of Livingston Police Station, said: "We understand the impact these crimes have on the local communities and we carried out extensive enquiries.

"This is a good result for our officers across the three divisions, as well as officers from Northumbria Constabulary who assisted with our operation.

"Rest assured we treat these crimes with the utmost seriousness and anyone with information regarding vehicle crime is always urged to contact us on 101.