TWO teenagers have been charged with conspiring to steal from a motor vehicle, days after police executed a warrant in the fight against catalytic converter thefts. Danny Rainford, 18, from Seadyke Road, Wisbech St Mary; and Tali Smith, 18, of Kirkham s L

TWO teenagers have been charged with conspiring to steal from a motor vehicle, days after police executed a warrant in the fight against catalytic converter thefts.

Danny Rainford, 18, from Seadyke Road, Wisbech St Mary; and Tali Smith, 18, of Kirkham's Lane, Elm, both appeared before Fenland magistrates today (Tuesday) after an initial hearing at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

They were both sent for trial at Cambridge Crown Court, as conspiracy can only be dealt with at Crown Court, with a preliminary hearing due on September 16. Both were given conditional bail.

A number of catalytic converters were seized by police when the warrant was carried out in Kirkham's Lane on Thursday.

The raid was carried out as part of a cross-county crackdown on thefts of catalytic converters, which reduce a car's toxic emissions.

Police said last month that as many as 10 catalytic converters are stolen every night in the Wisbech area, as thieves target three precious metals - platinum, palladium and rhodium - inside them. The international price of these metals has risen by 67 per cent, 200 per cent and 600 per cent respectively over the past two years.