COUNTY Hall bosses have launched an inquiry after thieves managed to break into an engineering depot and steal more than £70,000 worth of equipment.

Security at the council compound in Princess Way, Burnley, along with all other county depots, is being reviewed following the theft which happened overnight on Sunday.

The break-in was discovered when engineers turned up for work on Monday morning and police were called.

The thieves had managed to enter the depot and steal two Leyland DAF lorries and a Caterpillar digger on the back of a trailer. The three vehicles and the trailer are worth around £72,000.

Both the lorries were later recovered after being found abandoned, one in White Gate Close in Padiham.

Police have launched an investigation and are appealing for information about the whereabouts of the digger and trailer which are both marked with the words Monks Contractors.

Detectives said the theft was unusually large and would have taken a lot of planning.

A county council spokesman said: "The site at Princess Way has security fencing and the gates are locked out of hours. The site is also covered by CCTV. The police are investigating the incident.

"A number of items were taken from inside the office including the lorry keys, which were in a locked cabinet.

"The two lorries taken during the raid were later recovered undamaged. A digger, which was also stolen, has not yet been recovered.

"As a result of this incident, we are carrying out a full review of security at all our engineering depots across the county."

Anyone with information about the missing vehicles should call Burnley police on 01282 472142 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.