Two men have been jailed for their part in the "broad daylight" theft of two diggers worth £42,000.
The vehicles involved were a Volvo 360 excavator worth £30,000, stolen from Kinmel Bay, North Wales and a Takeuchi micro digger, valued at £12,000, which was taken from Rhyl.
Matthew James Tipping, 35, admitted two charges of theft on June 30, 2019 and John Thomas Lee admitted two charges of handling stolen goods on the same day.
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Tipping, of Broadway, Connah's Quay, Flintshire, was jailed for 12 months at Mold Crown Court and Merseyside man Lee, 27, of Suez Caravan Park, Suez Street, Newton-Le-Willows, was sentenced to four months, reports North Wales Live.
Lee's sentence will be activated if he breaches a night-time curfew lasting two months.
Police were initially alerted to the crime by a farmer who became suspicious of the behaviour of Tipping and Lee.
The court heard how Tipping was seen as a passenger in a van connected to the theft, but the driver has not been found.
The two diggers eventually ended up at a farm in Rossett, Wrexham, where a farmer found them being unloaded from a trailer.
Lee tried to deflect the farmer with an explanation, but he became suspicious and started filming the men present when there was talk of hot wiring one of the vehicles.
The police were contacted, the diggers were returned to their owners and the defendants were arrested.
In mitigation, Tipping was said to have been in full time employment and was described as a good worker who wanted to turn his life around. There was a request to give him a "long suspended sentence".
Sentencing, Judge Niclas Parry said: "You have both admitted your part in what was a brazen, professional, broad daylight theft of extremely high value goods, that are essential to the running of businesses that belong to hard-working men and are essential to the employment of men and women.
"Only two of you appear in the dock. There were maybe four or five involved in what was pre-planned criminality."
Tipping will serve half of his 12 month sentence on licence, but will be sent back to prison if he reoffends in that time.
Lee will have to stay in his home between 6.30pm and 6am under the two month curfew.
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