THREE suspects have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle following a spate of break-ins at schools in the east of Warrington.

The three men, aged between 25 and 29, were arrested at separate addresses in Bolton, Manchester and Leigh this morning.

A number of electronics – suspected of being stolen goods - have been seized at a property on Clifton Street and Furnival Street.

A small quantity of cannabis was seized at a house on Cleggs Lane and the remnants of a suspected cannabis farm was also uncovered in the loft.

Items of clothing and footwear were also taken away for forensic examination.

All three suspects currently remain in custody waiting to be questioned.

The arrests were carried out after thieves targeted Culcheth and Bruche Primary School and Culcheth High School, stealing thousands of pounds worth of electronics between December 2014 and July 2015.

Hollins Green St Helen's Primary was also raided.

The worst hit was Culcheth Primary in March after callous thieves smashed through the wall of the school to steal thousands of pounds worth of iPads.

The equipment, which was worth around £10,000, was stolen from the school’s ICT suite - 72 mini iPads were reported as missing.

PC Matt Lagar said: “We hope these three arrests send a clear message to the community that we will deal with these offences robustly and we will do all we can in our power to bring those involved to justice.

“This type of crime has a harmful impact on the next generation and we will work rigorously to put a stop to those callous individuals who target schools and disrupt young people in the classroom.”