Police are searching for the owner of a £10,000 digger - which really did fall of the back of a lorry.

The small orange Kubota digger was found at the side of the road after the truck carrying it was involved in a minor accident.

Police were called to the scene at Staindrop, near Barnard Castle, County Durham, but by the time they arrived both the truck and its driver had vanished - leaving the stranded Kubota behind.

Inspector Kevin Tuck, of Barnard Castle police, said: "We don't know if it has been stolen or there is some other explanation for it being left behind.

"It's certainly not the sort of thing anyone would normally drive off and forget about."

There has been no report of a machine of this type having been stolen in the region and the lorry driver has yet to report it missing. Police have discovered that the truck, which had a white cab, a black back panel and red side panels, travelled from the Bolam area towards Staindrop before the digger fell off.

Police said it may have been in a convoy with a blue or green Range Rover and a Daihatsu vehicle.

They received three different calls from motorists who saw the digger at the side of the B6279 road, just outside Staindrop.

Part of the digger's cab shield was broken by the impact as it fell from the truck. The accident happened at 12.35pm on Sunday.

"We would like to hear from anyone who saw those three vehicles or can give us the registration number of any of them," added Insp Tuck.

The digger was taken to a compound at Barnard Castle police station following the accident. It has since been moved to a storage compound at a commercial vehicle depot in Teesdale, where experts valued it at about £10,000.

One worker there said, "It's a wonder that nobody has reported it missing so far. It is a valuable piece of equipment."

Anyone with information should call police on (01833) 637328