Border collie puppies and dog stolen in Bramshaw farm burglary

Police warned people to be on the lookout for the puppies being offered for sale

Twelve border collie puppies and a breeding dog have been stolen during a burglary at a farm.

It is believed six men attempted to break in to farm buildings at Parsonage Farm in Bramshaw, Hampshire, shortly before 02:00 GMT.

Hampshire Constabulary said employees had returned from all-night lambing to find the dogs had been taken.

Officers have appealed for information from anyone who saw anything suspicious or sees puppies advertised for sale.

The mother of some of the puppies was also taken in the burglary

Farm worker Patrick Langdown described the theft as "devastating" and said some of the puppies taken from their kennel were as young as three days old.

"It's heart-wrenching - who would do this sort of thing? They will die without the specialist care and equipment," he said.

It is thought the intruders were attempting to locate farm machinery.

In a statement, Hampshire Constabulary said the burglary would have a "significant impact on the local rural community".

"We are asking anyone who may have seen anything suspicious or perhaps caught any people or vehicles in the vicinity on CCTV to come forward," the force added.

"It is likely that these puppies will be sold via online websites and platforms, so we are asking residents to be aware in case they see a litter of border collie puppies being advertised locally at a cut-down price."

Intruders targeted Parsonage Farm at Bramshaw in the New Forest