Rural crime on the rise in North East as cost-of-living crisis bites

Rural crime is on the rise in the North East with the theft of livestock, vehicles and fuel becoming more lucrative for criminal gangs, insurers have warned.

The NFU Mutual says soaring food prices could mean that livestock theft now increases, raising concerns about food security, animal welfare and people's health due to stolen animals being slaughtered in unhygienic conditions.

The warning from the insurer comes as it publishes its 2022 Rural Crime Report today (August 2), revealing that rural crime cost County Durham an estimated £260,000 in 2021, a fall of 29 per cent from the previous year.