North East has Britain's second highest rural theft bill at almost £8m, according to NFU Mutual

The North East had Britain's second highest rural theft bill in 2020 - at almost £8m, according to NFU Mutual.

Figures published on Tuesday, August 3, show the cost of rural theft in the region fell by nearly ten per cent but remained high at an estimated £7.8m, while the UK average fall stood at just more than 20 per cent.

Rural insurer NFU Mutual attributed the slight drop to restrictions on our lifestyle as a result of the pandemic, increased security on farms and policing.

David Smith, NFU Mutual regional manager for the North East, said: “While lockdown may have locked some criminals out of the countryside – rural crime hasn’t gone away. Thieves are now returning armed with new tactics and targets.

The organisation said highly-organised criminals continued to plague the region's farmyards over the pandemic, stealing high-value farming Global Positioning Systems, agricultural vehicles and tools.  

Without GPS harvests can be delayed, and some farmers are left unable to work.

Livestock theft fell sharply in 2020 - down 28.3 per cent to a cost of £220,000 in the North East as emptier roads made it harder for thieves to make off with vehicles full of stolen animals.

Other rural crimes, including dog attacks on livestock and fly-tipping rose sharply across the UK.

The value of sheep and cattle attacked by dogs shot up by 10.2 per cent in 2020 to £1.3m in a year which saw a surge in pet ownership and countryside visits.

The situation continues to worsen as NFU Mutual claims data shows the cost of attacks rose 50 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year.

And the insurer said fly-tipping in fields, gateways and country lanes reached "epidemic proportions" as waste recycling centres restricted access, leaving farmers to deal with the clean-up and risks to their health and that of their livestock and the environment.

Mr Smith added: "With more and more people using the countryside, we are urging the public to support farmers and rural communities by reporting suspicious sightings and crimes to the police.

"Farmers in the North East region have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, keeping the nation fed and caring for the countryside.

"By working together, we can help stem the tide when the criminals become more active again.”