A FAMILY-RUN farm in Blaenavon has appealed for help to find the burglars who stole thousands of pounds worth of equipment and attacked their dog.

Farm hand Kieran Redman, 23, who often helps out on the farm near Garn Road run by his father Neville for over 30 years, said they had discovered the horse-and-poultry farm had been the target of thieves at about 6am on Friday.

Kieran’s beloved German shepherd dog, Deano, was also found injured and cowering in his kennel, with a shovel on the ground nearby.

It is thought the dog had tried to defend the property.

Kieran said: “The locks on four of the outbuildings had been cut off and the farm equipment stolen.

“We were all in shock and the worse part was that the dog, who is very friendly, was injured and so scared.”

A trip to the vets revealed that the nine-year-old dog, who had to be given painkillers, had suffered cuts and bruises.

“Deano has done training as a search-and-rescue dog so it is horrible to see him so traumatised by the incident,” added Kieran.

The family say that the generator that provides the farm’s electricity was stolen, as well as a strimmer and harness, chainsaw, disc cutters and hedge trimmers.

Kieran said: “It is hard to put a figure on how much it will cost to replace it all – but it’s over £2,000.

“It’s particularly annoying as it is equipment that is needed at this time of year for farm maintenance.”

They believe that the farm’s wheelbarrows were used to transport the goods to the main road.

Kieran added: “It’s disheartening to know that someone could do such a thing and it has left us all very concerned it might happen again and constantly going to check everything is okay on the farm.”

He said the family have been touched by the kind messages that people had left after reading about the crime on social media site Facebook. More than 450 people have already shared their story on the site, giving them hope that whoever is responsible will be caught.

Gwent Police confirmed that they were called at 6.55am regarding the break in and that a generator and tools were stolen.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting log 109 25/07/14.