Sheep stolen from Durham farm

RUSTLERS cut through fencing before stealing almost 90 sheep worth over £4,000 from a County Durham farm.

A total of 85 Suffolk cross and Texel cross lambs were stolen from Tanners Hall Farm, at Stanley Crook in Weardale, owned by Alistair Layfield.

The theft took place some time between lunchtime on Thursday, December 20 and around the same time on Friday, December 21. Mr Layfield, who has owned the farm for 25 years, said yesterday: "It is sickening. It has been a tough year for everyone and prices have not been very good. The prices are just starting to improve for the lambs and then that happens. I was not very happy."

The field from which the animals were taken is out of view of Mr Layfield's home on his farm of 850 acres.

On the Friday lunchtime, he discovered a fence had been cut away and 85 of the sheep, worth £45-£50 each, had been taken. Around 60 of his animals remained.

The removal of the fence alone could have led Mr Layfield to consider the possibility that some of his flock had simply wandered off.

But the added presence of tyre marks on the field proves that the sheep were stolen.