At least 180 solar panels have been stolen from a farm in Cambridgeshire, according to local police.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary is calling for witnesses following the theft from a field near High Road in Newton, which is thought to have taken place overnight on 13 April.

PC Carl Stoppard said: “A large vehicle would have been required to move the panels and it's likely it would have taken a few hours to remove them.”

Initial reports suggest up to 192 could have been stolen from the unnamed farm, all of which would have had to have been disconnected from the site, suggesting the involvement of an electrician or someone familiar with solar technology.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire police said the case was currently being considers of as “a one off” but due to the number of large solar installations in the area suggested it could be “the first of many”.

The theft follows a spate of similar crimes committed in Lincolnshire last year when hundreds of panels were stolen from a number of sites in the area.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact Cambridgeshire police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.