Police in the South-West have recovered almost £60,000 worth of stolen farm equipment.

Somerset and Avon constabulary has celebrated the recovery of almost £60,000 worth of agricultural equipment in a single month. Police officers thanked the farming community, stating that calls from rural residents and owners fitting their equipment with tracking devices helped officers recover the goods.

In the most recent cases, a Ford New Holland tractor (worth £9,000) and McConnel bale grab and spike (worth £9,000) were recovered at Ham Hill, near Yeovil. They had been reported stolen from Highbridge four weeks earlier and were recovered by police on Tuesday (20th January).

On the same day, a large trailer worth £10,000 was found after the earlier recovery of a tractor, which was stolen at the same time as the trailer. The John Deere tractor (worth £20,000) was found at Cross, near Axbridge, on 15th January thanks to information from the public. The equipment had been stolen from a farm in Warwickshire in August 2014.

On 8th January, two £4,000 quad bikes were found at Ham Hill, just hours after they were reported stolen from Dorchester, thanks to tracking devices fitted on the machines.

Sgt Stuart Williams of the Rural Crime Team commented on the haul, "Enquiries are continuing regarding these recoveries, but we're pleased to have found such high value items in the space of a fortnight."

Sgt Williams said police who recovered the stolen items were working with support of the Specialist Agricultural Vehicle Crime Division (AVCIS).

The Sergeant continued, "Particularly pleasing is that members of the farming community have called in suspicious sightings of machinery, and that two quad bikes had trackers fitted making it easy for us to find them.

"Farms and rural businesses can take advantage of our rural community watch schemes and get crime prevention advice and equipment by getting in touch with their local beat teams, and I urge them to do so."