Feed stolen from a Bradford barn could damage the health of animals because it contains rat poison, its concerned owners have warned.

Pensioners Maureen and Michael Adamson were hoping to spend their retirement tending the land in Queensbury.

They planned to look after their pigs, hens, cows and horses, but they are struggling to cope with regular thefts and vandalism at their barn.

After the latest burglary Mrs Adamson urged anyone buying animal feed in Bradford to be wary of its contents. Cows have a lot of zinc and magnesium and supplements which aren’t good for horses,” she said. “There was sugar beet, and horses can’t have that because it swells in their stomachs.

“I had some corn in a tube which had gone dusty and I mixed it with rat poison to try to keep our rat population down.

“If that gets eaten by horses it will make them really ill.

“If this feed goes to the wrong animals it will have a really bad effect.”

She said the couple’s barn had been broken into on several occasions in recent years.

“I keep getting gates stolen and things like that,” she said.

“I‘ve had a horse coat stolen. I’m sick of this, we are pensioners and we can’t afford to replace all these things.

“We went away last May, I filled three baths with water, I checked them the next morning and someone had smashed a bath up.

“The year before we had a hen hut stolen. I’ve even had hens stolen as well.

“I’ll battle on through for now but it depends how long I can afford to replace things. We wanted to enjoy the land in our retirement and this puts a dampener on it.”

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police confirmed it had received a report of a break-in at the barn. The couple do not want to reveal its location for fear of reprisals.

The police spokesman said: “Head collars, corn and horse feed were stolen and two horse rugs.

“The matter has been passed to our Horsewatch team. Inquiries are ongoing.”

Horsewatch was started in the Bradford South division of West Yorkshire Police last year. The organisation holds monthly meetings in Queensbury and Holme Wood, and every member is sent a newsletter, e-mails and texts about suspicious incidents.

The burglary is believed to have taken place last Monday night.