THE bosses of a controversial scrapyard were among five people arrested when police swooped on the site.

A man and a woman in their 40s were detained on suspicion of possession of a firearm, theft and money laundering after Monday’s raid on the former T H Smith site in Great Harwood.

They are understood to be Mary and Tommy Smith the owners of the yard in Meadow Street now trading as Hotdog Tom Ltd.

A 36-year-old man from York was also arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm.

All three remained in custody yesterday.

A 30-year-old man from Brierfield and a 27-year-old woman from Blackburn were arrested on suspicion of money laundering and have been released under investigation.

They are understood to be current director of Hotdog Tom Ltd Scott Paton and former director of the firm Sinead Lorraine Hughes.

The scrapyard has been a the centre of a long legal saga regarding the unauthorised burning of waste materials at the site.

In September the police, officials from Hyndburn Council and the Environment Agency along with officers from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service raided the site following a temporary closure notice being served earlier in the month.

The order was lifted the following months after the Smith’s promised not to conduct any further burning operations there.

Mr Smith claimed the couple had been ‘unfairly treated by the police, the council and the Environment Agency.’

Police swooped on the scrapyard site on Monday as part of a planned operation and seized a number of allegedly stolen vehicles.

Other vehicles were also seized under proceeds of crime legislation.

A police spokesman said yesterday: “We hope this activity reassures members of the local community that we are doing everything we can to address the concerns which have been raised.

“We will continue to work as a partnership, and will use all the powers available to us to ensure those responsible are dealt with accordingly.

“We will continue to monitor activity at the site and if any members of the public have concerns or information we would urge them to get in touch with us straight away on 101.

“This activity is a positive step forward for the community of Hyndburn, and we would like to thank them for their patience and support.”

Last month the long legal saga over the scrapyard, which plagued neighbours with nuisance fires, appeared to be over.

Mary Smith, one of the directors of both T H Smith and Sons Ltd and Hotdog Tom Ltd, who have operated the site withdrew her appeals against three magistrates’ court convictions dating from October.

They were for accepting electrical and electronic equipment over a 15-month period in contravention of licences which only permitted the handling of scrap vehicles.

The Environment Agency dropped two further cases against Mary Smith during the hearing at Preston Crown Court.

Her appeal against the Burnley magistrates’ sentence of a 26-week curfew through a community order was dismissed.

Mrs Smith said after the hearing that since a separate legal agreement in December no fires had been burnt at the yard.

The Lancashire Telegraph was unable to contact anyone from Hotdog Tom Ltd or the Smith family yesterday to comment on Monday’s development.

The scrapyard has also traded as GHM Metals Recycling Ltd.

On October 5 the firm’s directors Tommy and Mary Smith got the September closure order lifted pending appeal and a temporary ruling banning burning at the site was imposed instead.

In November, Judge Ian Leeming QC at Preston Crown Court placed an order on the directors of T H Smith and Sons banning any blazing materials there.

At that hearing the police and their partners decided not to seek closure but obtained a six-month extension of a contempt of court order banning fires.