Valuable digger stolen from Milton Keynes is tracked down in Bulgaria

A digger stolen in Milton Keynes has been tracked down – 1,700 miles away in Bulgaria!

The £17,000 Kubota excavator was stolen from an address in The Hide on Netherfield some time between February 14 and March 1 this year. It had been hired from HSS,

What the thieves didn’t realise was that it was fitted with a secret tracking chip and also had forensic markings so it could easily be identified.

Thames Valley Police’s Rural Crime Taskforce investigated and managed to trace the machine to a precise spot in Bulgaria.

Interpol has now collected it and arranged for its return, with support from the National Rural Crime Team.

Rural Crime Taskforce lead, Inspector Stuart Hutchings, said: “The use of trackers and forensic markings made all the difference in recovering this stolen digger.

“Partnership working was also crucial as we worked effectively with the NRCT, Interpol and HSS Hire Ltd, which rented out the machinery in the first place, to ensure the digger was not lost.”

He added: “While we were unable to identify who stole the digger, I believe getting it back safely in one piece is a success as the cost of plant theft on companies cannot be underestimated, which is why it is one of the taskforce’s top priorities.”

The theft has now been filed, pending further information coming to light.

Anyone who knows anything about it should call 101 or make a report on TVP website here, quoting reference 43230093494.

Alternatively, they can call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.