£500,000 of stolen kit recovered in Lincolnshire

Police have recovered more than half a million pounds’ worth of stolen farm machinery and vehicles across Lincolnshire over the past year, highlighting the scale of rural crime in the county.

Lincolnshire Police’s rural crime action team confirmed that £520,000 of stolen farm vehicles, equipment and trailers were recovered between May 2024 and May 2025, Lincolnshire Live reported.

The figures were presented to members of South Kesteven District Council’s rural and communities overview and scrutiny committee, who were told that South Kesteven, Boston and South Holland remain hotspots for rural theft.

See also: Farmer turns detective to trace stolen vintage tractor

Speaking at the meeting on Wednesday (10 December), Insp Chris Davis from the force’s special operations unit, which oversees the rural crime team, broke down the recoveries by category.

He said: “Between May 2024 and May 2025, we have recovered around £300,000 of vehicles, £150,000 of plant (farm equipment), £70,000 worth of trailers and as you can see, lots of stuff that’s been recovered by the team from their own knowledge of the area that they work in.”

Mr Davis explained that officers often act quickly once stolen items are located, particularly where criminals attempt to evade tracking technology.

He said: “We know a lot of people steal items, lay them up and wait for any tracking devices and see if the police will come and recover them and where we can we’ll get in as soon as possible and get it back to the owner.”

Conservative councillor Robert Leadenham asked whether the recovered plant included larger machinery such as tractors.

Smaller vehicles targeted

Mr Davis said recent trends suggested a shift towards smaller, more easily transportable items.

He concluded that hare coursing and the theft of plant and machinery were countryside crimes that the force was dealing with the most.

“Those two things are linked… Also, theft of trailers and ATVs. So, they’re little four by four types of vehicles, quite often used in farming and dealing with identified organised crime groups.”