Sheep Rustling Gangs Targeted By Police

Police patrols have been increased and a new farm watch scheme has been set up after a spate of livestock thefts in North Yorkshire.

More than £120,000 worth of sheep have been stolen in the Craven district of the Dales alone.

The situation has got so bad that some farmers are considering selling up rather than trying to rebuild their flocks.

Robert Cowperthwaite farms the hills near Settle. He's now been targeted twice by the thieves.

He said: "I'm going to have to use other areas of the farm to keep the sheep on during lambing season.

"Both thefts happened in the same area, so I can't risk it again. That means the good grazing land there is wasted."

With sheep prices at market on the up and some breeding stock worth thousands of pounds each, rustling can be a lucrative business.

The rustlers themselves are sometimes trying to sell the animals on to unscrupulous butchers or restaurants. Other culprits have even been other sheep farmers trying to boost their own flocks.

North Yorkshire police say they're stepping up rural patrols to tackle the problem.

Sgt Mark Hill from North Yorkshire Police says: "This is a huge area, and much of it is very severe terrain, so it makes it very hard to police.

"But we're having some success catching the thieves through more robust policing and with the cooperation of the farmers."

The police and the hill farmers are hoping that "Country Watch", a scheme set up to create a rural network of eyes and ears, will help reduce the thefts, and bring the rustlers to justice.