Two men have been arrested after a 3 tonne digger on a trailer was stolen in Northland on Monday.

A witness watched as two men walked onto a property around 2.15am and attached a trailer with a small yellow digger on board to their vehicle.

The trailer was parked at a property in Tikipunga, Northland, beside another digger on a trailer.

The two men then got into their vehicle and drove off – leaving behind the second digger and trailer, which they could not connect.

The witness passed information to Whangārei police while the theft was in progress and local police officers headed to the location of the stolen digger.

Two men were caught and arrested after their vehicle was stopped safely by road spikes, which deflated the car tyres on Kirikopuni Valley Rd.

Further inquiries found the car the alleged offenders used to steal the digger was also stolen.

The digger is worth around $150,000.

A 46-year-old man and 23-year-old man, both from Northland, have been jointly charged with burglary and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.

They will be appearing before the Whangārei District Court at a later date.