TWO Wirral men have been arrested after a diesel laundering plant set up to avoid tax was discovered during a customs raid in Birkenhead.

Officers from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) uncovered more than 9,000 litres of suspected illicit fuel from the plant, along with chemicals and equipment following the raid on Thursday, which was assisted by Merseyside Police.

The operation, part of a national campaign targeting a gang suspected of being involved in a criminal fuel fraud network, saw more than 100 HMRC officers assisted by Merseyside, Lancashire, Essex, Kent, West Midland and Staffordshire police forces.

Eight premises were searched during the activity, including a further two in Wirral.

A second laundering plant was discovered in Ashford, Kent on the same day.

Between them, the two plants were capable of producing almost 120,000 litres of suspected illicit fuel a day, evading almost £12.5 million in taxes a year.

Both plants have now been dismantled, with three men arrested in connection with the Birkenhead raid.

Wirral Globe:
The fuel laundering plant uncovered in Birkenhead.

A 61-year-old from Meols, a 41-year-old from Wallasey and a 39-year-old from Garston have all been bailed until April 2015 pending further enquiries.

Investigations into the illegal fuel plants are ongoing.

Diesel laundering waste is often dumped indiscriminately in the countryside or next to the road with no care for the pollution it can cause to land or waterways. Typically the waste is dumped in agricultural areas or forests, chosen for their remoteness to avoid detection.

Wirral Globe:
The fuel laundering plant uncovered in Birkenhead.

Laundered fuel is red or green diesel, which has been filtered through chemicals or acids to remove the government marker. The chemicals and acids remain in the fuel and damage fuel pumps in diesel cars.

A further five men were arrested in Essex, West Midlands, Staffordshire and Lancashire.