Farmers are being urged to be vigilant and increase security this autumn as quad bikes and ATVs continue to be targeted by thieves, new data from NFU Mutual and the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) reveals.

There are concerns thieves may travel the length and breadth of the country to scope out and steal these valuable and highly-desired vehicles.

In 2023, quad bike and ATV theft reported to NFU Mutual cost an estimated £3.2m, up nine per cent compared to the previous year, and NFU Mutual and the NRCU are concerned a recent spike in thefts could affect farmers this autumn.

Hannah Binns, NFU Mutual Rural Affairs Specialist, said: “It is worrying to see quad bike and ATV thefts hitting farmers in the past month.

"The very nature of farmland makes these vehicles essential to farmers’ ability to get around their fields and effectively complete work, making a theft highly disruptive.

"Being from a family farm, I know the toll rural crime has on those who live and work in the countryside. It’s not just the unnerving feeling that criminals have staked out and targeted the farmyard, often where the family home is too, but the worry that the thieves will return in the weeks that follow.

"In fact, we’ve seen several incidents where criminals have revisited rural locations previously targeted .”