THREE men have been charged after police recovered stolen agricultural equipment worth £80,000 from a farm in Moray.
The huge hoard of items included two tractors, seven quad bikes and a digger. They were discovered during a police raid at Tullochallum Farm on the outskirts of Dufftown.
Yesterday, three local men aged 37, 38 and 55 were formally charged.
They will now be reported to the procurator fiscal, who will decide whether to bring court proceedings against them.
Many other pieces of agricultural equipment were also found on the farm in the early-morning raid, which involved a large team of officers, two police vans and three cars.
Equipment recovered included trailers, rollers and bale shredders. The items had been reported stolen from a number of farms across the region over several years.
Many of the items are understood to have disappeared from neighbouring farms in the Dufftown area.
Constable Peter Campbell, of the community investigation team in Moray, said: “Following inquiries earlier this year at a farm in the Moray area, a large number of tools, equipment, machinery and vehicles that were previously reported stolen were discovered.
“I would like to take this opportunity to urge all farm managers and owners to secure their property and equipment. In addition, I would also ask that any suspicious behaviour or suspicious vehicles be reported to police as soon as possible.”
The farm at the centre of the raid is about quarter of a mile east of Dufftown on the A941 road to Huntly. It is owned by the Crown Estate and leased to tenant farmers.