CRIME in rural areas of North Yorkshire has risen by more than seven per cent, making it among the worst areas in the country for such offences.

Figures released today by rural insurers NFU Mutual showed rural crime cost North Yorkshire residents £1,146,371 last year, up from £1,069,446 in 2015 - a rise of 7.2 per cent.

Last month, North Yorkshire Police said overall crime had fallen by two per cent across the region, keeping it one of the safest areas in the country, but NFU’s annual Rural Crime Report said the cost of rural crime meant the region was ninth highest in the country.

Clare Pybus, NFU Mutual senior agent in Whitby, said: “Countryside criminals are becoming more brazen and farmers are now having to continually increase security and adopt new ways of protecting their equipment.

“In some parts of the county, farmers are having to turn their farmyards into fortresses to protect themselves from repeated thieves who are targeting quads, tractors and power tools. They are using tracking devices on tractors, video and infra-red surveillance in their farm yards and even DNA markers to protect sheep from rustlers.”

Assistant Chief Constable Amanda Oliver said rural crime was important to the force, and the Rural Taskforce was the “largest unit of its kind in England”.

She said: “We know that offenders from urban areas outside North Yorkshire travel into our communities intent on stealing quad bikes, 4x4s, farm machinery, tools and other valuable property - and those crimes are reflected in the latest figures from NFU Mutual.

"That’s why we have made a major investment in Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology, so we can track suspicious vehicles in live time, and create a hostile environment for people intent on committing crime in our area. We’ve also made a number of arrests in connection with quad bike thefts in the North Yorkshire area recently, and those investigations are ongoing.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan said the report was “no surprise”, but she believed “some progress had been made”.

“Can more be done? Should more be done? Very much so, and I will continue to champion the needs of our rural communities, which has been one of my areas of focus for some considerable time."

“The NFU Mutual’s report once again highlights the need for police across the country to provide a strong service in rural communities. Both as Police and Crime Commissioner, and Chair of the National Rural Crime Network, I will continue to challenge the police on their commitment to rural areas as people living in the countryside deserve as strong a policing presence as their urban counterparts.”

The report also said quad bikes, tools and 4x4s were among the most-stolen items in rural areas, and although UK-wide statistics showed rural theft costs fell four per cent in 2016, they have risen by 20 per cent in first half of 2017.