Thieves run away with the circus! Entire big top tent is stolen

Police are desperately hunting for a group of 'crime clowns' who ran off with a circus tent and trailer worth tens of thousands of pounds in Austria.

Crooks are believed to have stolen circus equipment from a carpark in Styria between October 11 and October 20.

Investigators are not yet sure how many thieves could be behind the heist, and are still looking for clues with public help.

They expect they likely took the trailer away with a larger vehicle, with the large red tent on top.

The trailer was reported to have been left outside an old warehouse on the Grazer Vorstadt road, connecting Graz with Voitsberg.

Police say the items stolen could be worth tens of thousands of euros together.

It was unclear from the report whether the tent and trailer were still in use.

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Police are appealing for help from locals who may have seen someone take the trailer away.

In 2016, authorities were left stunned when a trailer reported stolen in 2009 turned up more than 1,000 miles away.

The 14 metre trailer was found on Walton Summit Road in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire in August 2016, seven years are disappearing in Austria.

Police said at the time the trailer appeared to have been abandoned, and had likely been at the spot for up to a month.

In 2011, Austrian authorities investigated the disappearance of 21 tonnes of ketchup and mustard, also apparently stolen in a trailer.

They said the thieves could have got away with as much as £13,000 worth of condiments.

The trailer had been left in a parking lot in Vienna. 

In 2012, Austrian police stopped three trucks smuggling 9.5 tons of stolen garlic on the way to the Hungarian border.

The three drivers from Romania were charged with carrying an 80-per cent excess load, and the garlic was confiscated.

The bulbs were valued at 30,000 euros at the time.