Two men have been arrested after a ‘hotwired’ tractor rammed ‘full throttle’ through the front of a family home in a ‘gangland revenge attack’.
Video from a neighbouring house showed the red Massey Ferguson as it trampled over the driveway of the Middlesbrough home on Saturday morning.
The footage appeared to show the tractor reversing away from the building, swaying from side to side as it straddled debris on the drive, its yellow lights blaring on top.
Another video taken during the day showed the tractor’s front end lodged in the house’s living room, with the top of the cab reaching up to the ledge of a first-floor window.
The house’s front garden wall was decimated and bricks were seen strewn across the drive.
Brickwork on the front of the house had crumbled and the remains of the ground-floor bay window hung loosely, much of its glass missing.
The road around the mid-terraced home was cordoned off by police as the tractor remained with its front end sticking into the house.
Neighbours were woken by a series of loud bangs in the early hours of Saturday and watched in horror as the tractor, with a baler still attached, smashed into the front of the house a second time, before the occupants fled in a getaway car.
A stolen tractor smashed into a house before a masked gang fled the scene in a getaway car
Neighbours were forced to evacuate after the vehicle damaged the property on Priory Road, Middlesbrough, at around 1.40am
Bricks at the front of the house hung loosely as the tractor remained lodged in the mid-terraced house
Police say two men, aged 27 and 34, have now been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to destroy or damage property and theft of a motor vehicle.
The pair are currently in police custody for questioning.
Residents described hearing the tractor and seeing its yellow flashing lights before it drove into the property, as neighbours were forced to evacuate as a precaution shortly after 1am following the incident on Priory Road.
The family were not in at the time as intruders had allegedly forced their way in and ‘smashed up’ the interior weeks earlier, leaving the house unoccupied when the attack took place.
A scene is still in place on Priory Road and officers say they are continuing to investigate.
One resident, who spotted the tractor’s yellow warning lights moving ominously down the normally quiet street and began filming on his phone, said: ‘I heard it and felt it. It reversed into a car and drove back in again. They were all in balaclavas and hoodies. It was the most insane thing I’ve ever seen.’
Most residents who were previously removed from their home have now been able to return – however, two households remain evacuated while police ‘offer support’.
In the aftermath of the collision, farmer Ian Tate arrived at the scene to find his vehicle still wedged in the front wall with its engine ticking over.
‘There was no key in the ignition,’ he told The Mail on Sunday. ‘This was a good ten hours after the crash. I don’t know if they can hotwire these modern tractors or not.’
‘These machines are complicated to handle and complicated to drive,’ Mr Tate said. ‘Someone had to know what they were doing.’
Officers say they will continue working with the local authority to assess the property and ensure it is made safe – meaning the scene will remain in place for the next few days.
Specialist forensic teams will be carrying out detailed examinations, including on the tractor involved.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector John Bonner said: ‘Our investigation is moving at pace with various enquiries taking place that has led to two arrests.
‘I am aware of video footage circulating on social media which appears to show activity at farm locations across Cleveland, North Yorkshire, and Durham prior to the incident and would ask for the owners to report this to us.
‘I’m taking this opportunity to appeal directly to farm and landowners to contact us if they have any CCTV or information relating to intruders or suspicious activity on their land within the last seven days.
‘There will continue to be an increased police presence in the area to provide reassurance to the community.’
Anyone with information, dashcam or doorbell footage – including sightings of the vehicle – has been asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101 or visit the website quoting reference number 087639.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
