A FOGGING cannon worth £16,000 has been recovered from offenders after it was stolen from a Test Valley road.

Police officers were alerted to the crime after it was snatched from outside a property in Wellow Wood Road, near Sherfield English. 

However, a member of the public spotted the cannon when they were on a track off the A36 at Pepperbox Hill, Wiltshire.

Now Wiltshire police has praised a popular messaging app after the person who clocked the cannon shared this information on a WhatsApp group, helping officers to crack down on rural crime.

Inspector Liz Coles said: “Thanks to the improved communications between our local rural communities and police officers, we have been able to swiftly reunite the owner with these high value items despite this crime taking place across the border in Hampshire.

“We will work closely with Hampshire Constabulary as the investigation progresses.

“The Whatsapp group is proving really popular amongst the rural community who are able to liaise directly with officers, share information and intelligence as well as crime prevention advice.”

Superintendent Chris Chammings said: “I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to make improvements to our technology to reach out to our rural communities who can often feel isolated.

"This is a great example of how these kinds of improvements to our technology can assist in solving crime and reassuring residents that we will take all reports of rural crime seriously and will do all that we can to identify those responsible.”

A spokesperson from Hampshire police said: "We were called just after 9.15am on 21 May to reports of a theft from outside a property on Wellow Wood Road.

"A fogging cannon, and the trailer it was held on, were stolen between 8pm on 20 May and 8am on 21 May.

"They were recovered in Wiltshire and anyone with information should phone 101, quoting 44200180031."

WhatsApp has been launched as a pilot amongst officers, starting with the rural crime team.