JUST one of twelve border collie puppies stolen during a break-in at a Hampshire farm has been returned to its owners, police have confirmed.

Employees at Parsonage Farm, Bramshaw, came back from lambing in the early hours of March 1 to discover the puppies, and a breeding dog, had been taken.

A group of seven people were allegedly seen lurking around the farm yard at 1.40am after breaking into a number of buildings in search of machinery. They then stole the dogs before fleeing the scene.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Police said: "We can confirm that one puppy has been returned to its owner.

"However, police enquiries remain ongoing to locate the other missing puppies."

Officers have further appealed to the public to be aware of any cut-price border collie puppies for sale online.

"We appreciate that these events will have a significant impact on the local rural community and we are asking anyone who may have seen anything suspicious or perhaps caught any people or vehicles in the vicinity on CCTV to come forward", police said.

"It is likely that these puppies will be sold via online websites and platforms, so we are asking residents to be aware in case they see a litter of Border Collie puppies being advertised locally at a cut-down price."

Anyone with information has been asked to contact 101, quoting crime reference number 44220083039.