THIEVES broke into a Westhoughton garden centre and stole a box trailer worth around £30,000 including goods on Wednesday night.

A vehicle, thought to be a Ford Transit tipper, was caught on camera at Darby's Garden Centre on Church Street at around 8.40pm.

The footage shows the vehicle, which is distinctive in having a toolbox positioned between the cab and tipper bag, enter the site and back up towards the double axle box trailer.

Three men then rush out and attach it to the back of the tipper in the space of a couple of minutes.

The trailer belongs to sprayed foam insulation business MPI.

Contract manager Richard Darby is allowed to use the storage space as his family runs the garden centre.

Mr Darby said: "Someone I know was going past the centre at 9.30pm and noticed that the gates were wide open.

"I am angry and frustrated about it.

"They have obviously just been there to steal the trailer.

"We were due to start a job at the new Bolton bus station on Monday to put in the insulation in the undercroft but now we don't know what we are going to do as we needed the trailer.

"Since the end of the first lockdown when we went back to work we have started to get back on our feet then something like this happens."

Mr Darby added that he really appreciates people on social media sharing the appeal in a bid to find the trailer.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are investigating the theft.

A GMP spokesman said: "Enquiries are ongoing and no arrests have been made yet.

"We ask the public to call 101 quoting incident number 2,866 of November 11 with any information."