Two pieces of large farm machinery worth thousands are believed to have fallen off the back of a lorry as thieves tried to make their getaway from a farm between Benwick and Ramsey.
The culprits broke into a shed and took a Caterpillar industrial forklift and a JCB telehandler which they loaded on to a lorry.
As they drove away the equipment fell off, one on the road and one into a ditch, and the thieves made their getaway - without their giant haul.
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police said : “We were called at 5.35am on Wednesday (16) with reports of a burglary at a farm in The Hollow, Ramsey.
“A shed was broken into and a Caterpillar industrial forklift and a JCB telehandler was taken.
“Both pieces of equipment were recovered shortly afterwards and had been damaged.
“One forklift was found on Hollow Road and the other was found a short distance away in a ditch.”
The farm sits in an area that in the last week has been warned to be on their guard against known hare coursers operating locally.
Rural crime fighters Countryside Watch (CW) sent texts to farmers and businesses in the Benwick area to pre warn them of the hare coursers and vehicles they are using.
A CW spokesman said: “We work to try to reduce rural crime and urge people to report suspicious sightings.
“Whatever your rural business type criminals can view our countryside as easy pickings.
“We find that thieves are opportunists who drive around looking for a soft target. Our members either report or keep notes of suspicious vehicles and people.”
Working in close partnership with Cambridgeshire Police, the National Farmers Union and many other rural agencies CW aims to reduced crime in rural areas.
The scheme has 800 members across Cambridgeshire and is for anyone living, working or following recreational pursuits in the county’s countryside.
Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Live information about hare coursing or suspicious incidents call 999.
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