THREE men are being hunted by police after they stole several shotguns, ammunition and a Land Rover which was later discovered submerged in the Fleet lagoon.

Armed police raced to the scene after the men were spotted in a nearby barn but they fled and are still on the run.

The armed response unit was joined by firefighters, coastguards, forensic science officers and the search and rescue helicopter was scrambled to search the area near the Wyke Regis Army Camp on Camp Road, Weymouth, yesterday morning.

Police said that the gold-coloured Land Rover and numerous shotguns were stolen on Tuesday night from a house in St Leonards Road in Chapelhay.

Police received a report that three men, believed to be the burglars, were disturbed while sleeping rough in a barn in Wyke Regis. They fled the scene leaving behind the shotguns and ammunition.

Later, the missing gold Land Rover was found submerged in the Fleet. It had left the road at the end of Camp Road and gone down a steep track into the water.

The police said the Land Rover had been caught on CCTV going down Camp Road on Tuesday night. They believe it went into the water about 12.15am on Wednesday.

Police Sergeant Steve Westhead, said at the scene that the police could not say if the men had been in the car when it hit the water.

He said: “We got a call about 7am from a member of the public to a vehicle in the water.

“We conducted an area search for the males but we did not find them. Our primary concern was to check if anyone was in the vehicle as it was high tide. The coastguards and Dorset Fire and Rescue Service assisted us in searching and confirming there were no people in the vehicle.”

He added: “We have seized a number of items from the vehicle that are being examined. We have seized a gun cabinet and some discarded gun casings that have not been fired.”

Coastguards searched along the Fleet and Chesil Beach yesterday morning and the search and rescue helicopter flew low over the Fleet looking for the fugitives. Weymouth sector manager Rob Sansom said: “We searched to Ferrybridge and along the shoreline.”

Police were assisted by the Army’s Royal Engineers in removing the vehicle from the Fleet yesterday afternoon.

The team had to wait for a lull between the high and low spring tides to remove the Land Rover which was recovered by 4pm.