An excavator has been damaged on site of the Strathfoyle Wastewater Pumping Station in Northern Ireland.

NI Water is appealing to anyone with information about the break in to contact the police.

Grahame Millar from NI Water said: "During the break in, there was an attempted theft and operation of an excavator within the site. The excavator had its shutters removed and was started and driven within the site but came to rest after driving through the permanent security fence at the site.

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"The most serious part of this incident is the fact that the security fence is very close to the top of a steep embankment with a railway track at the base of it. Luckily, the excavator came to rest after crashing through the fence and stopped within 5m of tumbling down the embankment and onto the track.

"Unfortunately, vandalism is an all too common problem at some of our sites. All our facilities provide an essential service for the community, so any damage can potentially impact on service delivery by NI Water. The cost to repair damage is also a factor, and this creates a drain on resources that could be better used to improve services."

(CD/JP)