Rural criminals are costing Shropshire £2m as farmer warns 'it is getting worse'
Rural theft cost Shropshire an estimated £2m last year, more than double what it cost in 2021, new figures have shown.
And one Bridgnorth farmer warned the issue was "not going away anytime soon" as he said tougher action was needed to crack down on offenders.
The latest data was revealed by NFU Mutual, who said organised crime gangs are stealing farm machinery and GPS kits worth tens of thousands of pounds to sell on in the UK and abroad.
It claimed some thieves use drones to scope out where valuable equipment is kept, or check social media to see what kit farmers are using and when they might be away.
The insurer said rural theft cost Shropshire £2,019,793, up 102 per cent from 2021, while in Staffordshire thefts cost almost £1.7m, up by more than 77 per cent on the previous year.
The cost of rural crime in the UK rose by 22 per cent to an estimated £49.5m in 2022, up from £40.5m the previous year, while in the Midlands the cost was £11m, up by more than 30 per cent.
Farmer Richard Yates said: “We are blighted with rural crime here in Shropshire, whether it be tractors, GPS units being stolen, fly-tipping or sheep rustling.
“Every farmer you would talk to would tell you they have the same problems, and we are getting rather fed up with the ratcheting up of criminal activity in the countryside.
