Published: Tuesday, 18th November, 2008 12:30pm

Thieves stealing farm gates put lives at risk

by Alexa Brown

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COUNTRYSIDE bandits stealing large gates for scrap metal hit farms across the region at the weekend, leaving thousands of pounds worth of livestock at risk.

The thieves targeted three farms in the Selkirk area between Saturday and Sunday, making off with several 15 foot gates thought to be worth around £350 each.

And farmers were left angry that the "thoughtless" criminals had threatened the safety of livestock, as well as members of the public using country roads.

Farmer Patrick Dalton, of Milrig Hall Farm, had several gates stolen in the early hours of Sunday morning.

He told the Border Telegraph: 'I came down to work on Sunday morning, and saw that a 15 foot gate had been stolen from one of the fields. I was shocked because the field leads straight onto the main road, and I"d had 15 bullocks in there three days earlier which could have got out onto the road and caused a serious accident. We"ve already had one bullock killed on that road.

'It is the sheer gall and the thoughtlessness of this crime that makes me angry' he added, 'It"s really important for people to be aware of this and to take the number of suspicious vehicles they see.

"The gates are quite heavy so I would guess it would have to be at least two men who stole them.'

Nigel Miller, Vice President of the National Farmer"s Union, believes the theft of farm gates is not a new crime.

He said: 'This kind of thing has definitely happened before, but it hasn"t been high profile in the last few years.

"The thefts of diesel and quad bikes have been much more common. But the reality is that petty, opportunistic crime does rise when the economy"s under pressure. It"s time to be on your guard.'

Police are now appealing for information on the thefts.