Two hundred stolen trees found in Newtown

Two hundred stolen trees have been found on a housing estate in Mid Wales, the Forestry Commission said today.

The sitka spruces were spotted in Newtown by a passer-by following reports that several thousand young trees destined for woodlands had been taken.

They were found just hours after the Commission appealed for help to catch the culprits.

Dyfed-Powys Police have taken away the trees for further investigation.

They were initially stolen from woodlands in Powys and Carmarthenshire before they could be planted, the Forestry Commission said.

Among the species that went missing were western red cedar and Norway spruce.

Neil Muir, from the Forestry Commission, said: "These trees were destined for planting in forests in mid Wales as part of our efforts to make our woodlands more resilient to the effects of climate change, as well as providing a range of environmental benefits."

The commission said while it was relatively common for a few trees to be taken, it was rare for so many to have disappeared.

The trees were stored in secure sheds and delivered to forests for planting before being stolen.

The commission said most of the trees were taken from sites in the Llandovery and Welshpool areas.

Dyfed-Powys Police are also investigating a theft of a large number of saplings from Forestry Commission land near Welshpool.