The Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) has arrested a man aged in his 50s on suspicion of theft of diesel and fraud "by false representation".

The PSNI said the arrest was made in Newry today (Monday, August 24) and was in connection to a report of an alleged rogue trader who targeted a farm or possibly other properties in the wider Banbridge and Newry area last month.

The arrest comes after a "Day of Action" last week (Wednesday, August 19) - which focused on cold-callers and rogue traders across the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon district.

The PSNI has outlined that a range of specialist police units were part of the co-ordinated and targeted operation, which also saw members of An Garda Síochána carry out a similar operation aimed at "disrupting travelling criminals".

Police

According to police the man who was arrested today remains in police custody.

A further arrest relating to the wider operation was also made of a man in his 50s on "suspicion of intimidating a witness".

Overall there have been three arrests following the Day of Action.

The PSNI confirmed that a 31-year-old man appeared in court today charged with a number of offences, including fraud by false representation, obtaining property by deception, engaging in aggressive commercial practice and possessing articles used in fraud.The officer in charge of managing the Day of Action, Banbridge Neighbourhood Inspector Quinn, has welcomed the arrests, which he said sent "a clear message that rogue traders, fraudsters and those involved in similar crimes were a policing priority in the community and that they would be dealt with accordingly".“We hope that the Day of Action operation, and this subsequent arrest, will deter those unscrupulous individuals who aim to target the vulnerable and take advantage by overcharging for poor quality work - or work that is never completed at all,” he said.