Police recover £80,000 of stolen farm equipment at Essex industrial estate

Criminal gangs cost the UK almost £50m due to the theft of expensive farming equipment.

Recent figures from NFU Mutual reveal that nationally rural crime rose by almost a quarter (22.1%) in 2022.

In the east alone more than £6.5m of equipment was stolen in 2022, with expensive GPS systems being a favourite target.

But there was some good news from the frontline of the fight against the gangs - after £80,000 of stolen machinery was recovered a Nazeing industrial estate.

After a tip off Essex Police Rural Engagement Team visited the site yesterday and found equipment including seven disc-cutters, a wacker plate, three breakers and a Leica rotating laser scanner in one of the units.

PC Joe McCarthy said: “The machinery was stolen from several businesses in Kent around a year ago.

“The owner of the unit where we located the machinery is not a suspect as he only took over the business recently.

“Happily, we have already been able to trace most of the owners and arrange to return their machinery.

“The theft of agricultural and construction equipment is extremely expensive and disruptive to businesses. Not only can insurance premiums rise as a result, machinery is costly to replace and the business can be harmed by delays. There may also be additional costs to repair damage caused by thieves."

The investigation is continuing.

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