The cost of rural crime rose sharply last year – and one Dorset farmer has had to go to extra lengths to deter repeated thefts of his property.

Figures from insurer NFU Mutual show that the cost of rural crime jumped more than 45 per cent between 2016 and 2017, with a total £881,521 in costs to Dorset farmers and other countryside-dwellers.

Quad bikes, all-terrain vehicles and 4x4s were among the most-stolen items, along with power tools.

The problem has grown to the extent that one Dorset farmer was forced to install gates and increased security after being targeted twice in a matter of weeks.

George Haskell, who farms beef and sheep near Wareham, had a livestock trailer stolen just before Christmas last year; weeks later, in January, a quad bike was taken from his land.

Mr Haskell said the two thefts had taken place under cover of stormy conditions.

"Six or seven other quad bikes were stolen within a 15 to 20-mile radius around the same time," he said. "We think they just rode it across the fields. They seem to have done a clean sweep of the area.

“The vehicles are vital to the running of the farm. I can’t describe what it feels like when you realise it has gone."

The NFU Mutual report further reveals that limited police resources and repeat attacks are the biggest fears for people in rural communities, with many forced to change the way they live and work as a result of rural crime.

Nigel Cryer, the insurer's Dorset agent, said the threat of rural crime was causing high levels of anxiety among farmers.

“Our advice to people living and working in the countryside is to regularly evaluate your current security measures making improvements where necessary, remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the local police and local farm watch schemes,” Mr Cryer said.

Meanwhile, PCSO Tom Balchin, from Dorset Police's rural crime team, urged farmers to take steps to boost security and deter theft. "Lock it up, alarm it, mark it and track it," PCSO Balchin said.

He noted that farmers were 'notoriously bad' for leaving keys in vehicles' ignitions, and for failing to keep their most costly assets locked up in one place.

"It's a good idea to take a note of a vehicle's serial number, not just the make and model," he added. "Not only does it help us get to the bottom of the crime, it's also a big deterrent for thieves."

He suggested, however, that the rise in rural crime could be down to better reporting of crime. "You should always report it," he said. "Otherwise you absorb the cost of the crime, and the culprit goes on to do it again."