Electricity North West says key assets stolen in Bolton thefts

ENW said the thieves also "attempted to make away with a second digger in Horwich"

"Key assets" which serve "essential purposes" in keeping power on in North-West England have been stolen, the region's network operator has said.

Electricity North West (ENW) said a mini digger, a generator and other items were taken from two Bolton sites.

It has asked the public to "keep a lookout" for the equipment, which it said was worth more than £30,000.

Area operations manager Paul McMahon said the thefts were "incredibly frustrating".

The operator said thieves used "an angle grinder to break through padlocks and illegally enter" the grounds of a "high voltage substation" on Hall Lane in Horwich, while the generator was taken from a site on Hacken Lane in Darcy Lever.

'Suspicious activity'

A representative said the thieves also "attempted to make away with a second digger in Horwich, but eventually gave up after stripping the machine down, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage", and the generator was being used to supply local homes when it was taken, which meant residents were left without power.

They added that ENW was working with Greater Manchester Police on an investigation into the thefts.

Mr McMahon said the digger and generator "both serve essential purposes to help us keep power on for the local area".

"It's incredibly frustrating to have key assets stolen on two separate occasions," he said.

"We need to put a stop to these thefts and I'm appealing to the local community to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity in the area and ask anybody who may have any information to report it directly to the police."