£8,000 digger stolen from woods near Newport
A digger worth £8,000 has been stolen from woods near a Shropshire town.
The grey and orange Kubota machine was taken from a wooded area between Newport and Lilleshall last week.
Police are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen a digger been driven across fields near the woods between August 27 and 28.
The digger is then believed to have been transported on the back of another vehicle away from the scene.
Officers are also asking landowners and farmers to ensure plant and machinery left on remote fields and sites is secured at all times.
They say residents should be vigilant and report suspicious vehicles and people around their farms and lands to police right away.
Constable Lee Thomas, of West Mercia Police said: "The digger taken is quite identifiable as it still has the words Suffolk County Council on the back from its original owner.
"Although stolen from quite a remote area, the thieves have driven the machine some distance across fields coming out onto the road from Lilleshall towards Edgmond near the Red House pub.
"Once at the roadside, the offenders will have needed some sort of transport, either a vehicle and trailer or flatbed type van to take the digger away due to its size and weight.
"We would appeal to anyone who may have seen or heard people acting suspiciously in the area or heard the digger being moved around to contact police."
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference 293S of August 28.
