The latest findings by leading rural insurer, NFU Mutual has found that rural theft in the UK cost over £40m in 2012 with tools, quad bikes and fuel being the most targeted items.

The company has established an annual survey of claims experiences within branch offices throughout the UK. The latest findings were combined with a detailed analysis of countryside claims data during 2012 to provide a unique insight into developing trends and patterns of crime.

The survey found that:

  • Rural theft cost an estimated £42.3m in the UK during 2012; down 19.7 per cent
  • Tractor theft fell 32 per cent year-on-year and quad bike theft was down 17 per cent
  • There was a slight rise in livestock theft (+3 per cent)

Regionally the largest falls were seen in the Midlands (-32 per cent) and South West (-26 per cent), while the cost of crime in Scotland rose 12 per cent. But the counties which saw the most rural crime were Yorkshire, Essex, Lincolnshire and Kent. Tools, quad bikes and fuel are the most commonly targeted items according to the nationwide survey.

Community watch schemes and social media such as Twitter are the most widely used methods for communicating crime alerts and information within communities sur