Two vehicle snatchers went for an illegal ride on a mechanical digger at dead of night, York magistrates heard.

But their journey by digger ended abruptly when police spotted it moving near a commercial garage at Clifton Moor, said Steven Ovenden, prosecuting.

One man leapt from the digger as it was moving, the second was seen running from it after it stopped.

But Brian David McGroaty, 21, of The Avenue, Clifton, and Robert Tatton Graves, 21, of Shipton Road, Rawcliffe, were later arrested and pleaded guilty to taking a machine without the owner's consent.

Magistrates fined them £250 each with £55 costs.

Mr Ovenden said a tip-off alerted a police patrol at Clifton Moor to the pair's activities at 2.45am on Sunday, January 7.

When they saw the digger moving on an approach road, its driver leapt from the vehicle. The digger continued moving until it stopped by some railings. There was no damage.

Officers spotted a second man running from the scene after it had stopped.

Both later told police they had been drinking.

Duty solicitor Craig Robertson, speaking for both men, said the offence was out of character. The driving was only for a short distance on private land. They had found the digger's keys in the ignition and both had driven it.

Updated: 10:24 Thursday, January 18, 2001