Appeal for information following incident in Newton-le-Willows

Detectives are appealing for information following an incident in Newton-le-Willows yesterday, Monday 30 August.

At around 3.55pm, officers were called to Newbank Garden Centre on Southworth Road to reports of an excavator being stolen. The man reporting the incident reportedly had his vehicle shunted by a Ford Transit van, causing damage but no injury. 

CCTV and other enquiries are ongoing and a Ford Transit van and caravan believed to have been involved were found abandoned on Mill Lane and forensically recovered.

Detective Inspector Yoseph Al-Ramadhan said: “At this stage the circumstances are unclear and we’re still looking to locate the excavator and those responsible. If you saw anything or captured footage which may assist, either via CCTV, dashcam or doorbell devices, let us know and we will take action.”

If you have any information, please contact us directly via @MerPolCC on Twitter, 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook, or by calling 101, with reference 21000604077.

Alternatively, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or report online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.