Tortoises stolen from breeding farm

The tortoises were stolen from an incubator

Police are on the trail of two thieves who stolen 19 valuable baby tortoises from a Shropshire breeding farm.

The two men are believed to have taken the Mediterranean Spur Thigh hatchlings, worth nearly £4,000, from an incubator at the licensed farm in Ellerdine, near Telford.

West Mercia Police said two men were spotted acting suspiciously shortly before the theft which occurred between 1100 BST and 1115 BST on Tuesday.

One of the men is described as being white, about 5 ft 11 ins, of medium build and was in his late 30s.

Stocky build

He had light brown hair and was wearing a brown and grey T-shirt and jeans.

His accomplice is about 5 ft 7 ins, of stocky build, and also in his late 30s. He had black shaved hair and wore a black jacket over a black shirt.

Police are appealing for anyone with any information to contact them.

They are also looking into a separate incident in which two adult Herman tortoises, worth £175 each, were stolen from a pet shop in Oakengates on Wednesday morning.