Spike in rural crime in Market Drayton area
People have been warned to be vigilant after a spike in rural crime this week.
Police in Market Drayton have revealed there have been 113 incidents, including 46 crimes, with issues of rural crime featuring heavily.
They include the theft of of £3,000 car transporter trailer taken from a business park in Sutton Road, a break-in and theft of red diesel from a commercial yard in Bletchley, and the theft of a trailer from Bletchley.
Constable Mick Sturland, of Market Drayton's safer neighbourhood team, said: "This week rural crime has taken precedence.
"Overnight on Saturday a car transporter trailer was taken from a business park in Sutton Road. The trailer is a Brian James clubman tilt bed tandem axle car transporter trailer – modified with electric winch and a white and red battery box on the back.
"On Sunday night, some determined thieves broke into a commercial yard in Bletchley.
"Approach to the premises has been from the rear across fields. It seems offenders have scaled a 5ft 8" brick wall at the rear to access rear yard.
"Whilst in the rear yard, offenders have gone to the side of a main building, used some wooden pallets stacked up alongside the building to scale the wall, they have then made a couple of footholds into the brick work to the wall of the building to hoist themselves higher – before smashing two windows to then gain access to a CCTV camera about 10 to 15 metres above ground floor level.
"They have then managed to move the camera around so that it no longer covers the yard.
"Once done, offenders have approached five metal diesel tanks in the yard and forced off locks to steal agricultural red diesel.
"It is worth reminding you that if you have heating oil tanks or diesel tanks, that they are secured and maybe consider getting them alarmed."
Constable Sturland said thieves also took a Indespension trailer, model AD2800, from a farm in Bletchley on Sunday night.
"This time, they simply went into the farm yard and took it away.
"Please, try and make life as hard as you can for thieves and lock away your plant or kit, secure it properly and get it alarmed.
"Needless to say we all need to be vigilant to crime and report anything suspicious," he added.
Anyone with any information about the incidents are urged to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
