The power of technology and social media has helped a Staffordshire farmer recover his £30,000 pair of disc mowers after they were stolen.
The Claas Disco 3200 mowers, worth around £15,000 each, were stolen from a farm near Leek earlier this month.
The products were seen being transported across the border to Derbyshire.
Farmers in Derbyshire then circulated the crime incident on a new 'Farm Watch' Whatsapp group.
Thankfully, a local farmer spotted the front mower abandoned on a remote lane near Youlgreave, Derbyshire.
The phone app 'what3words', which is a geocode system for the communication of locations with a resolution of three metres, was then used to pin point its exact location.
Derbyshire police's Rural Crime Team attended to help secure and recover it back to its owner.
“Whilst we were there, several farmers stopped and passed information on its origins and suspicious activity surrounding its apparent abandonment,” the force said.
“Thank you to all of you who shared this and for using social media to make this too hot to handle.
“If you’re a farmer or live in a remote community, please consider joining up with the rest of your community and start using Whatapp messaging to share information such as this.
“It travels faster than criminals, especially those in a tractor.”
Rural crime cost the UK £50m last year as brazen criminals continue to target farmers' livelihoods.
