The search for a stolen Mercedes in Staffordshire ended up uncovering more missing vehicles at a chop shop.

We received reports of tree saplings stolen from a premises off Dosthill Road between Saturday (8 April) and Wednesday (12 April).

We were called to an address near Willowbank in Fazeley at 8.04am on Sunday (16 April) following reports that three horses had been found with multiple stab wounds.

Five ewes that are due to lamb soon were stolen overnight from a village in East Staffordshire. The sheep were taken between 11pm and 5am overnight on between Friday night and Saturday morning, April 7 and 8.

Rural and wildlife crime officers in Staffordshire are calling on the public to keep a look out for suspicious activity around wild birds’ nests as part of an annual operation to tackle egg thieves.

We are reminding residents and businesses within our rural communities to remain vigilant following recent reports of burglaries in Lichfield and South Staffordshire.

The wildlife welfare officer added the activity could also lead to "vandalism of property, loss of income for farmers and landowners, theft, intimidation, and road traffic issues due to the driving of unlicensed and uninsured vehicles".

One such attack left him in hospital and with permanent problems with his back after being attacked with a knife, he said. However, this will not stop him and he has plenty of stings planned for the coming months, he said.

DC Chris Piggott from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service says the older Land Rover Defender models are particularly vulnerable because of a lack of modern security systems.

Cruel and dangerous weapons used to trap fish have been discovered along the River Trent in Burton. Water bailiff John Anderson said the traps are so cruel they maim and kill anything they catch. They also often end up catching waterfowl too as they stumble across them on river banks.

Almost 3,000 animal cruelty calls have been made to RSPCA helplines over the last three years in the West Midlands and Staffordshire according to "shocking and deeply upsetting" new statistics.

A gang of balaclava-clad Romanian thieves are thought to be behind a series of farm shop burglaries across the Midlands, the north West and north Wales.

Police have warned that a sophisticated gang of thieves are ploughing a new furrow, stealing cash from farm shops that sell upmarket groceries

Motor owners are being urged to be on their guard after a high-value motor was snatched in a keyless car theft.

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