AN attempt to steal a digger from a Farnham building site was thwarted and a man arrested just a day after three people were arrested for similar offences.

Police received a call just before 8pm on Tuesday evening (January 16) reporting a micro-digger’s tracker had been activated on a building site on Compton Way, Farnham.

Officers arrived at the site within minutes and began the search for suspects after they found a digger had been moved.  

After noises were heard in woods next to the site, officers headed into the trees to search, ably assisted by a canine counterpart from the Surrey and Sussex Dogs Unit.

Police Dog Tango Charlie picked up a scent and tracked to a residential address on Compton Way. A 26-year-old man was found hiding in bushes in a back garden where he was arrested on suspicion of attempted theft and taken to Guildford Police Station.

He was released under investigation on Wednesday (January 17) afternoon.

PC Stuart Kerslake, from Waverley Policing Team, said: “I hope this arrest reassures the local business community that we take vehicle and plant theft extremely seriously. Officers attended the scene promptly and we were able to arrest a suspect within an hour of the first call to police.

“With the right precautions in place – in this case a tracker – plant owners can minimise the risk of losing machinery.

“If you notice anyone acting suspicious around building sites or on rural property or believe your vehicles and machinery is being targeted by criminals, then you should call us on 101 or 999 in an emergency. You can also find advice on our website.”

It comes just a day after three people were arrested for vehicle theft and traffic offences in a failed attempted theft to steal a digger and van from a property in Farnham.

A vehicle and foot chase assisted by helicopter and dog support resulted in two men, both 26, and a teenager being detained near Seale.

A week earlier, overnight on January 4/5, three diggers were also stolen from a site in Farnborough Road and driven across the grounds of Farnham Heath End and William Cobbett schools, smashing through a fence dividing the two schools.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: “We don’t underestimate the impact of rural crime across Surrey.

“To reduce the chances of plant and agricultural equipment being stolen, we recommend that you don’t keep them in a prominent place, you lock any keys to vehicles or plant machinery away in a safe when it’s not in use and that you should consider using trackers, wheel clamps immobilisers or ground anchors.

“Residents of Surrey who live in rural areas should sign up to CountryWatch which is a free-to-join message alert system helping rural communities to prevent, disrupt and detect criminal activity through https://www.intheknow.community/ and selecting the ‘Farming and Other Rural Issues’ option.

“You can also visit our website for more information: https://www.surrey.police.uk/advice/protect-your-neighbourhood/rural-crime/ .”