Captured on CCTV, this is the moment that turf war erupted in a quiet suburban street – as a couple had their front garden stolen by two middle-aged lawn thieves.

The women were filmed methodically rolling up the newly-laid turf, before scurrying off down the road.

The shameless pair had to make seven return trips to strip the garden bare – and even stopped half-way through for a cigarette break.

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Grassed up: The women, who look middle-aged, can be seen ripping up the freshly-laid lawn during the robbery

Wearing pink: After rolling the grass up she hoists it into her arms while her accomplice approaches

The victims’ neighbour Bobby Stacey caught the whole thing on CCTV, having installed a camera after thieves stole tools and a mountain bike from his own property.

Mr Stacey, 51, who owns a beauty salon, said his neighbour had spent all day carefully levelling his front garden before neatly laying the strips of turf.

‘He’d done a fantastic job. I went in to work and I had a phone call asking to check my CCTV because the turf had been stolen. I couldn’t believe it.’

Mr Stacey, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, said he was stunned by the footage. ‘It was shamefully funny. I couldn’t stop laughing,’ he admitted.

Daylight robbery: The woman in the pink jumper strides away from the scene - presumably to a getaway car

Well-earned break: The brazen thieves appear to stop for a cigarette half-way through the turf heist

‘It was about 5am in the morning ... it was dark when they started, but when they finished it had got light. It took about 40 minutes to an hour – half-way through they stopped and had a smoke and a sit down on my wall.’

Mr Stacey said he had heard rumours that the perpetrators were a mother-and-daughter team.

‘It was cheeky, but the turf must have cost at most £30 – it doesn’t even seem worth it,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t stop laughing. I was annoyed at the same time though. I don’t know where they took the turf, because that’s off-camera, but they must have been loading it up somewhere.

‘We live in a quiet neighbourhood and we have older people living behind these houses, and I worry for them if this goes any further.’

The owners of the stolen turf were too upset to talk about the raid yesterday. They fear they may fall victim to similar ‘pranks’ unless the pair are caught.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police confirmed that the incident had been reported, and that officers were investigating.

She said: ‘We’re at the stage that there are no further lines of inquiry, but would appeal to anyone with information to come forward.’