MORE than £70,000 of stolen plant equipment and machinery has been recovered during a two-week police operation across Lancashire.

Lancashire’s stolen vehicle squad, working with the motorway, road policing and ports units, monitored the movement of plant equipment across the county.

In the two weeks, 223 vehicles were checked, 106 items of plant were checked, £70,000 worth of stolen plant was recovered, including a tractor, a mini digger and a JCB, and three people were arrested. The Home Office estimates plant equipment worth £1million is stolen each week in the UK, and records show only 5per cent is ever recovered.