Three men have been handed a prison sentence after stealing a quad bike from a farm in County Durham.
The trio were spotted making off on the farmer’s quad bike by a resident who notified the police of the suspicious activity.
The resident then followed the vehicle, giving police officers updates as they blue-lighted to the scene.
Jackson Lee Bainbridge, 20, Connor Dodds and Liam Robson, both 21, sped through Westgate and Stanhope before being seen abandoning the quad bike and jumping over a wall.
The trio were arrested after trying to hide in some bushes and under a van during the 4am incident.
All three appeared at court earlier this month, where they pleaded guilty to burglary.
They were sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, with Bainbridge receiving an additional six weeks for breaching a previous suspended sentence. They were also ordered to pay court costs.
The quad bike has since been returned to the farmer.
Detective Sergeant Sarah Hindmarsh, of Durham Constabulary, said: “Thanks to the speedy report from the member of the public and the use of the rural WhatsApp group, officers were able to make sure these prolific offenders were caught and taken off the streets.
“These close links with our rural communities are vital and we will continue to work with residents to keep them safe.”
NFU Mutual's latest Rural Crime Report, released in August 2021, showed that the cost of rural crime in the UK hit £43.3m in 2020.
Highly-organised criminals continued to plague farmyards, the report said, stealing high-value farming GPS, quad bikes and ATVs.
The cost of agricultural vehicle theft reported to NFU Mutual remained at over £9m.
