UPDATED 3.12pm

A man whose $40,000 digger has been stolen is urging police to act quickly to nab the thief.

Little Digger Hire Limited manager Leonard Blake says a drain layer from Howick contacted him to hire a digger last Sunday.

He said they arranged to meet in Karaka but when he got there the digger had been wrenched from the vehicle it was secured to.

Leonard Blake said the man has been sending him text messages, demanding a $2500 payment to return it.

"I've been in touch with Police, they've basically informed me that I need to stop texting him, they can't do anything at this stage because they're too busy."

Leonard Blake says it's a Hitachi ZX 14, which is only one of three in the country.

Mr Blake said the man who has the digger is known to police.

Police confirm they received a phone call on Tuesday of a digger being stolen last Sunday from a Karaka property.

They say the informant has both in person and over the phone supplied police with a range of information in relation to the alleged theft and of a possible person of interest.

The police say it's taking them time to fully explore the matter.



The information continues to be assessed and the case remains under investigation.