COSTS of rural theft in Gloucestershire rose by more than a third last year making it the fourth worst affected in the UK.

Figures published by NFU Mutual in its rural crime report reveal that incidents in the county cost £1,607,368 in 2016 – a 38 per cent rise from 2015.

Thefts of Land Rover Defenders and quad bikes rose last year while livestock theft fell and the value of agricultural vehicles which were stolen stayed at the same level.

Despite a big increase in Gloucestershire, the cost of rural theft nationally fell by 4.3 per cent last year although the report warns of a sharp rise in the first half of 2017.

“While the fall in rural theft in 2016 is welcome news, the sharp rise in the first half of 2017 is deeply worrying,” said Tim Price, NFU Mutual rural affairs specialist.

“Countryside criminals are becoming more brazen and farmers are now having to continually increase security and adopt new ways of protecting their equipment. 

“In some parts of the country, farmers are having to turn their farmyards into fortresses to protect themselves from repeated thieves who are targeting quads, tractors and power tools. 

“They are using tracking devices on tractors, video and infra-red surveillance in their farmyards and even DNA markers to protect sheep from rustlers.

“The threat of becoming a victim of rural crime, and regular reports of suspicious characters watching farms is causing high levels of anxiety amongst farmers who know their rural location makes them vulnerable to attacks.”

The overall cost of rural crime in the UK is £39.2million according to the report which is based on claims data.

Only Cambridgeshire, Essex and Lincolnshire were worse hit than Gloucestershire last year.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Constabulary said: “Gloucestershire Constabulary has a number of dedicated officers and members of staff working on rural crime. 

“There are a number of specialist rural and environmental crime officers across the force who understand the issues facing rural communities. 

“They run regular operations in the Forest of Dean and Cotswold areas to deal with problems such as poaching and theft of farm machinery. 

“Rural crime covers a wide range including fly tipping, livestock theft, fuel theft as well as wildlife crime. 

“One of the main issues in Gloucestershire is the theft of quad bikes and trailers and we are working with the National Farmers’ Union to combat these crimes. 

“We are also working with other forces to clamp down on cross-border criminals who exploit outlying areas and we have increased patrols in some of the harder hit areas.”