Livestock rustlers have stolen nine pigs from a Staffordshire farm in two separate incidents, police have said.
Staffordshire Police has called on the public to help their investigation following the theft of pigs from a farm in Lichfield.
The first incident occurred on 3 October, when three pigs were stolen from the farm, located on Tamworth Road.
A few days later, on the night of 9 October or morning of 10 October, rustlers stole six more pigs from the same farm, injuring six others in the process.
Staffordshire Police believes that the suspect or suspects drove up a track to gain access to the farm before leaving the scene with the stolen pigs.
The force said it was currently reviewing CCTV of the area at the time of both thefts.
It said: “If you have any information, CCTV or dashcam footage that could help us with our inquiries, contact us on 101, quoting incident 230 of October 11, or use live chat on our website."
Last month, criminals stole more than 50 sheep from farmland in Somerset.
The cost of livestock theft in the UK rose by 8.7% in 2022, totalling an estimated £2.7 million, according to NFU Mutual figures.
Overall, the cost of rural theft in the UK shot up by nearly a quarter last year, as highly organised gangs of criminals continued to plague the countryside.
Claims reported regularly involved over 50 sheep being taken in a single raid, NFU Mutual said.
