Men steal thousands of pounds worth of tools from Gloucestershire farm
Watch Ken Goodwin's report
Thousands of pounds of tools and equipment have been stolen from a farm in North Gloucestershire.
CCTV shows four men wandering around the farm just before midnight. They took valuables from two farm sheds after breaking the padlock off.
Nashend Farm near Staunton is owned by Rosalind Cookson and Chris Gott, who thought living in such a remote location would prevent theft.
The couple sold their dairy herd 10 years ago after the price of milk crashed. They have since worked to build their business, with a beef herd and glamping accommodation.
Chris said: “I was absolutely gutted when I came into the shed and the door was open.
“I don’t even want to go out of the house and see the animals now, it’s that devastating for me.
“The same night there was a farm down the road, where my car was used to steal another trailer with some machines on.”
His wife Rosalind spent the day after the incident looking at the footage, making clips and doing stills for the police.
She said: “They’re walking round as if they’re us on our farm, so confidently and you just feel violated and frightened because I could have come out to check the animals, or the children could have come across them and that is really scary.”
The family’s farmhouse is in Gloucestershire but straddles the border with Worcestershire. West Mercia Police are dealing with the crime.
A police spokesperson said: “We take rural crime very seriously and run a number of targeted schemes to deter criminals and make farms and businesses safer.
These include ‘Rural Watch’, We Don’t Buy Crime’ and ‘Smartwater’ initiatives”
“We also have dedicated Rural and Business Crime Officers across the West Mercia force area”
But for Chris and Rosalind, that's not enough. They fear they are still vulnerable, despite putting in extra security measures.