Farmwatch initiative set up by Wiltshire police’s Rural Crime Team has helped reunite a trailer and litres galore of red diesel fuel stolen from a farm in Shalbourne, near Marlborough, with its owner.
Police received a report of a trailer and red diesel going missing from the farm last Thursday. An outbuilding on the property had been broken into and a flat bed trailer worth £2,500 driven off.
Approximately 1,800 litres of red diesel, valued around £1,500 was also taken after being siphoned into an empty container close by and loaded onto the stolen trailer.
PCSO John Bordiss from the Rural Crime Team visited the farm the following day to discuss crime prevention advice with the owner. Then a text alert was also sent to all members of the police’s Farmwatch initiative to make them aware of the theft.
And less than an hour after his visit PCSO Bordiss received a call from a Farmwatch member in Westbury. He reported having found a trailer and fuel hidden away at the edge of one of his fields. This was identified as the missing property and returned to its owner later that day, together with the 1,000 litres of the missing fuel.
“This is another example of how effective the Farmwatch scheme is proving and it continues to be a vital tool in helping combat rural crimes like this one,” PCSO Bordiss told Marlborough News Onlne.
“Whilst the trailer and some of the fuel have been recovered, we would still like to hear from anyone with any information in relation to this incident to contact us.
“We have now supplied the victim with a fuel dye kit which provides both a dye and signs warning that the fuel is chemically tagged and traceable. The owner will now also be forensically tagging other items throughout the farm to help prevent against future thefts.”
Anyone with any information in relation to this incident can contact Wiltshire Police on 0845 408 7000. Alternatively people can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be left