THIEVES have stolen more than £31,000-worth of computer equipment from a lorry on Altham industrial estate while the driver slept in his cab.

The theft, which took place in the early hours of yesterday, is being linked to similar incidents on the same industrial estate last year.

A Polish driver was due to deliver the equipment to a company on Monday morning and had parked in Shorten Brook Way at around 5pm on Sunday evening.

He had gone to sleep in his cab but was awoken at around 2.30am yesterday by a noise at the back of the lorry.

The driver got out to investigate, heard people running away and saw a blue lorry, with a roller shutter at the back being driven away.

DC Andy Brown, from Accrington CID, said: "This is a very high-value theft and we are appealing to any night or shift workers who were on the industrial estate in the early hours of Monday morning who may have seen anything to contact us.

"We would also like to hear from anyone offered any computer towers."

He added: "This is linked to previous incidents where foreign drivers have been targeted and we are very keen to get any information we can."

In December last year three men wearing balaclavas smashed their way into a German lorry-driver's cab and hijacked his vehicle.

The driver was dumped in Wigan and the lorry was found abandoned in Manchester. The thieves had stolen computer equipment worth £100,000.

In a similar incident in March last year a wagon full of computer equipment was hijacked. The driver was again found dumped in Wigan and the empty lorry was found burnt-out in Salford.

In April last year firms on the business park and industrial estate in Altham voted against a bid to boost security.

The bid, put together by Hyndburn Council and Groundwork East Lancashire, would have seen teams of three Altham Business Community Wardens making regular patrols of the two sites to help cut crime.