DEVON and Cornwall Police has issued a warning to residents following a recent spike in rural vehicle thefts.

According to the force, there has been a rise, in recent days, in rural burglaries in which offenders are targeting quad bikes located on farms.

It has been identified that there has been a spike, in recent days, of rural burglaries, where offenders are predominantly targeting rural farms, and stealing quad bikes.

Police are urging residents to stay vigilant for suspicious activity at night, and during the day, as this is when criminals will scope addresses.

A spokesperson from Devon and Cornwall Police said: “Often the quad bikes are wheeled away in the small hours and loaded into vans which are parked nearby.

“Please remove keys from machinery and make sure expensive items are locked and secured. You can invest in a small GPS tracker system, something like an AirTag would help locate stolen machinery should you be a victim of a crime.

“Our Devon & Cornwall Police Rural Affairs Team are aware and supporting the rural communities too.

“Please be safe and call 999 if an emergency and offenders are on scene, or 101 in a non-emergency.”