Farmers and landowners should turn to technology in order to help cut their chances of being hit by rural crime, says the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) East.

Dark winter nights and continued economic uncertainty means those located in remote rural locations are at risk of thieves looking to steal machinery, vehicles, fuel and even livestock, it warns.

CLA eastern regional director Nicola Currie said: “Rural areas present the greatest opportunity for thieves. Isolated houses and buildings, less lighting, fewer witnesses and the ease of being able to watch the owner’s movements all add up to a very attractive target for thieves.

“You need to make it difficult for thieves. We have members who are using small, motion-sensitive cameras that are sold for monitoring bird boxes. These are available from suppliers on the internet – with many models available for less than £100.

“It was recently reported that former BBC wildlife presenter Simon King got footage of a man climbing over a fence away from the scene of a burglary in London using a camera intended to film urban foxes.

“The footage has now been given to the police to use in their inquiries.”

Mrs Currie said that installing security lights and ensuring valuable equipment, vehicles and machinery are stored in secure buildings would also cut the chances of being a victim of crime.

She urged landowners to report all rural crime, however trivial it may appear. “The most important thing to do is to get the registration number and call 999 if a crime is in progress, or 101 to report an intruder. With modern technology, the registration number is the key piece of information the police require – but it needs to be reported to them immediately,” she said.