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Stolen digger found 1,200 miles away

Dorset Police An orange digger on a dirt track. There is no driver in itDorset Police
The vehicle was stolen from a development plot between 01:00 BST and 04:00 BST on 1 April

A digger stolen from a building site in Dorset has been tracked down about 1,200 miles (1930km) away in Poland.

A Hitachi digger and a JCB digger were reported stolen from Ringwood Road in Ferndown in the early hours of 1 April.

Police launched an extensive investigation which saw the Hitachi digger located five months later in Pruchnik, a rural Polish town.

The digger will be shipped back to the UK and returned to its owner.

Dorset Police said it worked with Interpol, forces in Poland and various other intelligence teams to locate the vehicle.

The victim, a developer who has not been identified, said in a statement that they had been "hit hard" by theft over the past year.

“It is a testament to the work carried out by the police and hopefully serves as a reminder of the relentless work involved," they said.

"Even across country borders, stolen items can and will be tracked down.”

Getty Images Houses on a road in Pruchnik, Poland. In the foreground are some gardens.Getty Images
Pruchnik, in south-eastern Poland, has a population of about 3,500

An investigation is ongoing to identify the offenders and to locate the second digger that was stolen.

Figures from the National Farmers Union Mutual revealed the cost of rural crime in Dorset rose 18% to an estimated £410,000 in 2023.

David Sidwick, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, said a lot of theft in the county was "highly organised".

“I urge farmers to use machinery marking kits which help authorities identify stolen items and get them back to the rightful owner," he added.

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