A MAN in his 50s has been arrested after two rural burglaries in the Wilton area.

At just after 8pm on Saturday night (September 30), Wiltshire Police responded to reports of a burglary in Dinton, involving three men in balaclavas.

When officers arrived they found outbuildings had been badly damaged and some tools had been stolen.

An hour later, officers received another report of a burglary in Compton Chamberlayne.

“In this incident a quadbike had been reported stolen, along with tools including a chainsaw,” a Wiltshire Police spokesperson said

“The victim claimed he had seen a pick-up trying to tow a tractor from an outbuilding, but when he tried to stop them, the vehicle had struck the gates, causing the tractor to disconnect.”

Inspector Tina Osborn said: “After the first incident my officers flooded the area to look for the vehicle to no avail. When the second report came in our officers were already on the roads.

“They came across a quadbike which managed to get around them, but were then rammed by a second vehicle, writing off our police car. A number of men decamped from the vehicle, with our officers managing to detain one of them.

“We are pleased to say that some of the items reported missing were found in the back of the vehicle.

“We’re working closely with Farmwatch and I would urge everyone to remain vigilant and secure their property as much as possible.

“We’ll be carrying out extra patrols and we would ask everyone to contact us straight away if you see anything that looks suspicious.

“Burglary remains one of the top priorities for the force and we will deal with offenders robustly.”

A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of burglary, dangerous driving, taking without owner consent, failing to stop and criminal damage. He has been released on bail pending further enquiries.