Bulgaria's army decided to dig up leftover Maybach tanks at the Bulgarian-Turkish border, which served as firing points after World War 2.

The decision has been caused by a spate of recent robberies, as the tanks are highly sought by collectors.

In December 2007, a Bulgarian army officer and two German nationals were caught red-handed while trying to steal parts of one tank and were later charged with theft of another tank. In January 2008, a police probe found the turret of a third tank was also missing.

The army was storing the tanks at the base of the agency that manages the Defence Ministry's property in Yambol, base overseer Iliya Iliev told Bulgarian National Radio.

The army expects to round up all the tanks by mid-February and they would be temporarily stored at the base, under close guard, he added. The army is yet to decide what to do with them.