Police found a sawn-off shotgun and hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of stolen vehicles after a stolen machine was tracked to site in South Yorkshire.

Police sent up a drone to search the area from the sky, before launching a major operation to raid the site, with three people arrested.

South Yorkshire Police said officers from Barnsley, as well as specialists from National Construction and Agricultural Theft Team (NCATT), uncovered multiple stolen vehicles, thousands of pounds of cash, and weapons after Northumbria Police had discovered that a GPS tracker from a stolen trenching machine had pinged in Wombwell, near Barnsley.

Officers from Northumbria Police and the NCATT contacted the local neighbourhood inspector to say the trenching machine was showing in a location in Wombwell.

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A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “We immediately sent a drone up in the sky to check out the land and located the stolen machine. A warrant was then obtained and officers from Barnsley South neighbourhood policing team paid a visit to the site, supported by TSG (Tactical Support Group) and NCATT.

“The trenching machine, worth around £200k, was recovered and returned to its owner. Two other suspected stolen vehicles were recovered, as well as a sawn off shot gun, shot gun cartridges, a machete, illegal medication and over £30k in cash.

A 63-year-old man and two women aged 30 and 62, were arrested on suspicion of possession of firearms offences and handling stolen goods.

They have all been released under investigation as enquiries continue.