A one-ton sewage pump worth £15,000 was stolen in a daylight raid on a Severn Trent plant in Bewdley. The pump measures 1.75m by 600 mm.

It was taken from the site at the back of the former Wribbenhall Middle School off Stourport Road just after workers had finished for the day at 5pm on Thursday.

It would have left sewage threatening to overflow into the nearby River Severn had the back-up pump not been working.

Two white men wearing fluorescent yellow jackets were seen loitering around the site shortly before the raid.

Detectives investigating the theft believe the burglars forced their way into the site before using a lorry equipped with heavy duty lifting gear to steal the pump and two manhole covers.

Pc Pauline Montague said: “This was a pretty vital piece of equipment and its theft could have had serious environmental consequences.

“We also want to hear from anyone who was driving on Stourport Road between 4pm and 6pm on Thursday and might have been behind this vehicle,” she added.

The pump had been removed from a sewage well for maintenance work by Severn Trent staff when it was stolen and was one of two pumps on site.