Manchester homes searched over theft of rare Peak District mineral

Two men were arrested by police investigating the theft of a rare mineral only found in the Peak District. Two houses in Greater Manchester was searched by Derbyshire Police on Tuesday night (November 12).

It followed a 'number of suspicious incidents' in Castleton, Derbyshire, where the Blue John mineral is found in only a select few locations.

Around 60kg of the mineral was discovered by Derbyshire Police's Rural Crime Team after the homes were searched. Two men were taken into custody.

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Blue John, a variety of fluorite, has a purple-blue and yellow colour and has historically been used in jewellery and ornaments.

The area where the mineral forms is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and quarrying of Blue John is prohibited, the force said. The men have since been released pending further investigation.

A force spokesperson said: "Following a number of suspicious incidents at Castleton in the Peak District, the team attended two addresses in the Greater Manchester area last night and arrested two males for theft. A search at one of the addresses recovered a large quantity of Blue John which is a rare semi-precious mineral that is unique to the area and not found anywhere else in the world.

"The site is SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) protected and quarrying of Blue John is prohibited. Theft of this rare fluorite not only harms the natural environment of the site and local economy, but it also harms the site's Heritage. It is sometimes said that Blue John was first discovered by the Romans."