The overall cost of rural theft in Oxfordshire fell by nearly 15 per cent to an estimated £675,000 in 2020, according to figures from rural insurer NFU Mutual.

However, highly-organised criminals continued to plague Oxfordshire’s farmyards over the pandemic, stealing high-value farming Global Positioning Systems, agricultural vehicles such as quad bikes and tools.

NFU Mutual saw the UK-wide cost of claims for GPS almost double last year with the crime fuelled by demand across the globe.

And other rural crimes such as dog attacks on livestock and fly-tipping rose sharply across the UK.

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The value of sheep and cattle attacked by dogs shot up by 10 per cent in 2020 in a year which saw a surge in people buying pets and countryside visits.

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

Meanwhile 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.

Across English regions, the decrease in the cost of rural theft in the South East (-19 per cent) was broadly in line with the national picture (-20.3 per cent).

Harvey Merrins, NFU Mutual agent in Witney, said: “Coronavirus restrictions, beefed-up security on farms and rural policing provided a welcome fall in rural thefts last year.

“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. As the economic impact of the pandemic bites, we are very concerned that rural theft may escalate significantly.

“Last year saw sharp rises in other crimes such as dog attacks on livestock which caused appalling suffering to farm animals and huge anxiety for farmers and their families as they dealt with the aftermath.

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“Organised criminal gangs also continued to target farmyards for high-value GPS systems, quad bikes and tractors with the UK cost of agricultural vehicle theft remaining at over £9million - only a 2 per cent drop in cost from 2019.

NFU Mutual said it is investing over £430,000 in targeted rural security schemes this year.

Mr Merrins added: “The extra funding will help police join forces with local farmers, set up covert operations and recover more stolen machinery from countries across Europe.

“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.”