Insurers have warned of a rural crime wave which is forcing some farmers to go to extreme lengths to counter rising thefts.

According to Bluefin Insurance Services, which has offices in Skipton and Cleckheaton, the cost of agricultural theft jumped from £41 million in 2009 to £48 million last year, with tools, tractors, heating oil and fuel topping the list of targeted items.

See Thursday's T&A for the full story