Two men have been arrested in north Dorset after a digger was stolen.

Dorset Police Rural Crime Team were alerted to reports of a stolen digger being tracked to a location in the north of the county.

Upon arrival two men, both aged 41, were subsequently arrested as they loaded what was suspected to be stolen goods onto a van.

READ: Dorset Rural Crime Team celebrate success after action week

A spokesperson for the Rural Crime Team said: “On Saturday November 11 2023, Officers from the Rural Crime Team attended an address in North Dorset, following a report of a stolen digger being tracked to that location.

“When officers arrived, they located two males loading up vans with what they suspected to be stolen machinery.

 “As a result, a 41-year-old male of no fixed abode and a 41-year-old male from the Southampton area were arrested for handling stolen goods.

“They have both been bailed with conditions not to enter Dorset.

“The digger was stolen from Magna Road in Bournemouth sometime between the 28th and 30th of October.”

READ: Volunteers on horses help Dorset Police with rural crime

Rural crime is an area Dorset Police have been keen to tackle with a new volunteer mounted division set up to help patrol and monitor rural areas of the county.

Police seized a van and a number of gardening tools, which were thought to be stolen in October.

READ: Warning to Dorset farmers as thefts set to rise over winter

Farmers have also been warned to check their security procedures as farm thefts could increase over winter as the nights get darker.