Three people have been arrested over attempting to steal a catalytic converter from a car and damaging it in the process, police announced on Sunday.

The three people, aged 23, 28 and 33, were arrested early on Sunday morning.

From searches of the homes of two of the suspects a further three converters were found – two in the home of the 23-year-old and one in the home of the 28-year-old – which are being examined to see if they too were stolen.

At 2.30am on Sunday police received information that three people were trying to steal the converters from cars parked on a street in Yermasoyia, Limassol.

Police officers who went to the scene found two men, aged 28 and 33, next to a car that had been raised up on a jack, while the 23-year-old was under the car with several tools.

The exhaust system o the car had been partially cut where the converter is so officers arrested the three men.