Thirty-seven Texel sheep have been stolen from a farm near Darlington, County Durham.
The sheep were taken by rustlers from Bracks Farm, near Heighington, on Monday (July 17).
The sheep were Texel Cross and Suffolk Cross.
The thieves accessed the farm via a dirt track off the A6072. They also took seven galvanised metal gates of various lengths before leaving.
Sheep rustling is becoming a huge burden for farmers.
A new system is being trialled in North Yorkshire in an attempt to cut the number of sheep stolen in the county.
The TecTracer system ingrains thousands of coded markers into the sheep's fleece so its farm can be traced.
If an animal is stolen, the system can alert the police and nearby farms.
According to the NFU Mutual Rural Crime Report 2016, livestock rustling remains a problem with a total cost to the UK of £2.9 million a year.
Anyone who knows anything about the incident, or saw anything suspicious, is asked to call Durham Police on 101 and ask for PC Simon Morris in Darlington.
