POWERFUL computer equipment taken in a raid on a North-East university science complex, may have been stolen to order for a foreign buyer.

Police confirmed last night that valuable research data taken in the raid on Durham University's science site may already have gone abroad.

The cost of the lost equipment and the damage has been put at £1m.

The burglary may be linked to a spate of similar thefts around the country and appears likely to be the work of a specialist gang.

Security staff disturbed the raiders, who had forced their way into the laboratory complex, off South Road and Stockton Road, in Durham, on Saturday night.

The thieves managed to strip some of the eight circuit boards from the recently installed computer, and fled with four of them.

Two men, one described as black and the other of Arabic appearance, ran from the site chased by three members of security staff.

They headed for towards the car park at the New Inn, at the junction of Stockton Road and Church Street, where they jumped into a blue Mercedes car, before speeding away from the scene, shortly before 11pm.

The vehicle, registration R893 BLE, was subsequently found abandoned in the motorway service area off the A1(M) interchange, at Bowburn, near Durham.

Police have subsequently discovered that the car, which was carrying false number plates, was originally from the London area.

Detective Inspector Andy Reddick, of Durham City CID, said it was the latest in a number of possibly connected thefts from universities round the country.

Similar thefts have taken place, involving specialist equipment also thought to be stolen to order, at Peterborough, Strathclyde and Frome, in Somerset.

It is believed the information taken in the previous raids has gone abroad, and a connection with those incidents could not be ruled out at this stage.

Each of the circuit boards taken on Saturday is about 20in square, two and three-quarter inches deep, weighs 20lbs and carries the words Sun Microsystems.

The two suspects were in their mid-to-late 20s, and both spoke with foreign accents and in broken English.

One is described as black, about 5ft 3-4in and stocky.

He had short black hair and was wearing dark clothing, possibly a hooded kagoul.

His accomplice looked Arabic and was 5ft 7-8in, with short dark hair, slim, and was wearing dark tracksuit-type clothing.

Det Insp Reddick appealed to anyone who may have spotted the two men.

The crime is believed to have been carried out in mirror image fashion to an aborted raid at the science block only five days earlier.

Witnesses are asked to ring Durham City Police Station, on 0191-386 4222, or anonymously on the Crimestoppers' line, on (0800) 555111.