A family of goats have been reunited with their owners after being stolen and ending up 40 miles away.

The goats had been seen wandering around the Blandford area but no-one knew where they had come from – until a Google search revealed a news story about their theft.

Police launched an appeal for information about the Nigerian dwarf goats after they were taken from a a secure barn in South Perrott, near Beaminster, between 5.30pm on Sunday, November 27 and 9am on Monday, November 28, last year.

According to police thieves forced a padlock on the barn to gain entry and took the family pets - a nanny and her two three-week-old kids.

The trio were found roaming in Tarrant Keynestone, near Blandford Camp, on Monday - roughly 40 miles away from where they were stolen more than four months ago.

They were found by 22-year-old Jacques Steventon who had first seen them walking around the lanes of the Langton Long Road area a few weeks ago. He managed to herd them into a nearby field to get them off the 60mph road and away from the traffic.

Enquiries were made to try and find their owners and Mr Steventon contacted the RSPCA, but at the time no-one knew where the goats were from and when he went to check on them in the field the following morning, the mum and kids had vanished.

But on Monday night the elusive family was spotted again, in Mr Steventon’s neighbours’ driveway.

The IT systems technician said he managed to catch the babies in his hands and get dog leads on them, and the mum, and managed to walk them down to neighbour Leila Bayer’s stable where she keeps horses.

There, they Googled ‘missing goats in Dorset’ and the news article on their original theft came up. Mr Steventon said they recognised them immediately, adding: “We were able to identify them really easily. In the picture the babies were really small, now they have grown up. It was really amazing.” He added the goats were “extremely resilient” to have survived for four months and managed to travel 40 miles.

The group managed to track down the West Dorset owners, who were reunited with their pets yesterday morning.

Mr Steventon said: “They were over the moon, they were really happy. It was like a little reunion party. It was really nice – it’s a nice heartwarming feeling.”

The family gave the goat rescuers flowers and chocolates and a card in which the children had written: “Thank you very much for finding our friends – Pixie, Buster and Clara.”

The RSPCA confirmed they were called on Monday evening after the goats were found wandering in the road.

Dorset Police confirmed that the goats have been found but that no arrests have been made.

Police Constable Tim Sturgess, of Bridport police, renewed the appeal for information, adding: “I would urge anyone who has any information about how these goats ended up in the Blandford area to please contact police.”

Anyone with information should call officers on 101 quoting incident number 55160178277.