Rare snowdrops worth £70 stolen

A spadeful of bulbs can fetch £15 but some rarer varieties can be sold to enthusiasts for as much as £70 each. Many of the bulbs are packed into vans and sold in the Lincolnshire and Wisbech areas of England which are traditional bulb-growing areas.

CRIMINAL gangs of "bulb bandits" are launching cross-Border raids to illegally harvest tonnes of Scotland's wild snowdrops.

Police and wildlife conservation groups said a several gangs from England are making dozens of raids in early spring, sometimes using JCBs, because the chances of being caught in remote woodlands are low.

Snowdrop thieves have in recent years targeted St Boswells in the Borders, woods to the north of Perth, and areas in Kelso.

A spadeful of bulbs can fetch £15 but some rarer varieties can be sold to enthusiasts for as much as £70 each. Many of the bulbs are packed into vans and sold in the Lincolnshire and Wisbech areas of England which are traditional bulb-growing areas.