Cost of rural crime in Scotland hits £1.6m

Rural crime cost Scotland £1.6 million in the first half of 2017, new figures show.

The analysis by NFU Mutual also revealed that crime claims across the UK rose by more than a fifth in the first half of the year.

Despite a slight drop in the cost of such crime to just under £40m last year, early claims statistics show a sharp increase in the first half of 2017.

Releasing its report on rural crime across the four regions of the UK, the insurer described farmyards being turned into fortresses to ward off thieves. It said farmers had taken steps including using infra-red surveillance and installing tracking devices on tractors. England bore the brunt of the 2016 crime cost at just under £34m, while the cost to Northern Ireland was £2.5m, Scotland £1.6m and Wales £1.3m.