Three Australian sailors have been charged in New Plymouth after they allegedly stole a front-end loader and smashed up a building site on a drunken night out.
The marine technicians from New South Wales got off the navy ship Kanimbla when it docked at the Taranaki port at the weekend.
Police say the men, aged 22, 23, and 28, were drunk when they climbed on a digger at a plaza which was under construction.
It is alleged the men smashed machinery into shops and even caused a gas leak when the crashed into a pipe.
They have been charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and will appear in New Plymouth District Court next Thursday.
