RURAL crime has hit an all-time high, costing Oxfordshire more than £821,000 in 2018, a report has revealed.
In its annual study of offences against farmers and rural businesses, the insurer NFU Mutual found that rural crime in Oxfordshire in 2018 was up by 30.8 per cent since the year before.
In the UK as a whole, figures have hit a seven-year high, costing the country £50m in 2018.
The insurer said that the findings are 'alarming'.
Read more: Headington set to break away from city councilHarvey Merrins, one of the insurer employees based in Witney, said: "One of the most alarming findings from this year's report is that fear of crime is changing life in the countryside."
Overall, rural crime has cost the South East £8.6m in 2018 – a 13 per cent rise from 2017.
The sharp rise in the figures is driven mainly by the theft of machinery and quad bikes.
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