TER recovers £120k of plant in Dyfed-Powys raid

The National Plant and Equipment Register (TER) has helped Dyfed-Powys police recover £120,000-worth of stolen equipment after a series of raids in Welshpool.

The operation, codenamed operation Tess, recovered items including four telehandlers, a JCB backhoe, a skid steer loader and four mini excavators.

The JCB was identified, via TER’s database, as having been stolen in Yorkshire in 2004, while at the same location a £25,000 Takeuchi mini excavator stolen in Essex last year was also found.

According to Tim Pubrick, manager of TER, one of the telehandlers - a £20,000 Manitou unit - had had its identity number altered by the criminals, to what turned out to be a French identity.

Meanwhile, a Caterpillar telehandler discovered during the operation and stolen in London during 2003, was bearing the same identity as one sold in Australia in 2002.

“The criminals must have inside information or contacts working at ports to get these serial numbers,” Purbrick said.

A police spokesman said: “TER was especially effective when we located a telehandler abandoned in woodland. Within minutes we were provided with full details to confirm it was a stolen machine.”