A stolen power tool with a tracking device led police to a cache of missing caravans and vehicles, a slew of tools and a quad bike.
Police searching for a single power tool were staggered when it led them to a hoard of more than 1,000 suspected stolen items that could be worth more than £500,000.
The find is one of the largest Kent Police has dealt with and images show hundreds of drills, garden equipment, boxes of tools and a hoover were among the haul recovered.
The discovery was made after a tradesman who had suffered multiple thefts attached trackers to his tools. When officers from the force’s Rural Task Force followed a GPS signal they discovered the other items.
The quad bike is suspected to have been stolen from Ashford, while the six caravans are thought to have been from thefts in Bristol, Wales, Southampton, Staffordshire and Sussex. Four vehicles were also seized along with a huge number of power tools.
Officers from the task force obtained and executed a warrant, assisted by colleagues from Thames Valley Police, at an address in Swattenden near Cranbrook, Kent, just after 7.30am on Friday April 26.
Five local men, aged between 18 and 44, were arrested alongside a 19-year-old woman and 17-year-old boy on suspicion of multiple offences relating to theft.
They have since been bailed pending further investigations.
Force hopes to reunite owners with items
Sgt Ross Haybourne, of the Rural Task Force, said: “We hope to reunite as many of the items as we can with their rightful owners as soon as possible.
“Officers are in the process of cataloguing the suspected stolen items and a comprehensive list will be released in due course.
“Anyone wishing to claim items listed will need to provide proof of ownership or proof of purchase.
“We anticipate this to take a considerable amount of time and thank the public in advance for their patience while we undertake the task.
“Any tradesmen or those in possession of power tools are advised to mark their property, take photographs, and record serial numbers so that, in the event of theft, officers have more chance of returning property.
“We also advise reporting any thefts in a timely manner, providing as much detail as possible.”
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