Thieves have struck a Staffordshire farm and stole more than 30 sheep in a new livestock rustling incident plaguing British farms recently.
The flock of 31 sheep, all of which had tags on their ears, were stolen from a field in the Woodmill area of Yoxall.
It is believed the animals were taken an any point during April, according to East Staffordshire Police.
It comes a few days after similar incidents in Cornwall and North Wales, where 23 cattle and 120 sheep were stolen respectively.
Elsewhere, an Ayrshire farmer made an urgent appeal to the public after a lamb was shot and killed by a group of men with an air rifle on Sunday 3 May.
East Staffordshire Police are now asking members of the public to get in touch if they have any information regarding the Yoxall incident.
"There have been 31 sheep stolen out of a field in the Woodmill area of Yoxall, Staffordshire during the month of April. They were ear-tagged.
"If you have any further information regarding this theft of livestock please get in touch with Staffordshire Police," the force said.
Staffordshire Police can be contacted by calling 101 or on social media channels, such as Facebook and Twitter.
The crime reference number of SP-20200504-0484 should be quoted when making a report.
In a high profile case of livestock theft, three men were recently jailed for a total of over 11 years following a campaign of barbaric illegal sheep butchery across Northamptonshire.
The problem is widely recognised by government and the police, and insurers have reported that it’s the third most costly crime for the farming industry.
