TWO burglaries have resulted in the loss of over £5,000 worth of equipment including chainsaws and a MIG welder.

An ungated farm and a garden shed, both in Gestingthorpe, were thought to have been raided on the same night of Monday June 2.

Thieves stole a mig welder worth £2,000, a Stihl strimmer worth £350, a petrol mower worth £250 and a Stillson adjustable spanner worth £50 from the farm.

Two Echo hedge trimmers worth £500 each, two 16 inch Husqvarna chainsaws worth £500 each and a red Komatsu strimmer worth £600 were stolen from the garden shed after the padlock was smashed.

It is unknown whether the two incidents are related.

Sergeant Martin Richards insisted that people call police if they notice similar items being sold on locally.

He said: “We do get vans that go round and offer this kind of property.

“If you have been offered stuff out the back of a van, please call us as we need to do work around this issue.”

Anyone with any information can call Essex Police on 101.