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Storm Frank: Man arrested on suspicion of looting flood-stricken homes in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire Police were responding to residents reports of a man behaving suspiciously near evacuated homes

Caroline Mortimer

Thursday 31 December 2015 15:10 GMT

Evacuated homes and businesses in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire are said to be vulnerable to looters stealing electrical goods (PA)

West Yorkshire Police have arrested a man on suspicion of looting flood-stricken homes in the village of Mytholmroyd.

Police are questioning the 40-year-old after residents reported a man acting suspiciously near storm-ravaged properties on Wednesday.

They confirmed the man - believed to be from the Dewsbury area - is in custody and inquiries are continuing.

The police did not confirm whether any valuables had been taken, but they said people in white vans had been spotted acting strangely in the area and there have been reports of people stealing electrical items from outside flooded homes.

There have also been four burglaries and one attempted burglary at evacuated houses in the Huntington Road area in the north of the city, Sky News reports.

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

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1/17In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Members of Cleveland Mountain Rescue and soldiers from 2 Battalion The Duke of Lancasters Regiment evacuating people from the Queens Hotel in York city centre as the River Ouse floods on December 27, 2015

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Teams in Whalley evacuate villagers from their homes

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

A resident of Glenridding, which flooded for the third time this month, surveys the damage

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

The River Ouse, York, has burst its banks

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

A soldier from the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster’s regiment helps to sure up flood defences in Appleby, Cumbria, one of the areas worst affected by the floods

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Experts believe the cost of clearing up the most recent flooding could exceed £50m (PA)

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes in York

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

A police helicopter photographed the extent of the flooding in York on 27 December.

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Flooding at Clifford's Tower in York on 27 December

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Flooding along York's Inner Ring Road on 27 December

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Water runs out of the Lowther pub in York on 27 December after the River Ouse bursts its banks in York city centre.

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Flooded streets in Dumfries, Scotland on 30 December

Getty

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

A car left submerged in floodwater in Newton Stewart, Scotland

PA

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Staff at the Worlds End bar in Dumfries Scotland desperately try to pump floodwater out of the building

PA

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

A man stands in the doorway of his cottage in the flooded town of Straiton in Scotland

PA

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Flooding in the village of Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland

In Pictures: Floods hit the UK

Floods hit the UK

Man wades through floodwater outside a fish and chip shop in Dumfries, Scotland

PA

It comes as Storm Frank caused fresh chaos across the flood affected areas in Scotland and northern England.

An 18th century bridge in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire and a 150-year-old pier in Weston-super-Mare in the Bristol Channel partially collapsed after strong winds and heavy rain.