ITV News West of England Reporter Sangita Lal has been shown figures which reveal the surge in demand for heavy machinery since the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctionsis being exploited by criminal gangs, bolstering a black market demand for farming machinery, according to the National Rural Crime Network., £4 million worth of machinery was stolen by Russian soldiers - linked not just to military tactics, but to Western sanctions too.
"On the other hand, because of sanctions, there's a restriction of supply. This is where criminal gangs come in. Chris Cott says he knew he was being watched by thieves weeks before they stole £15,000 worth of equipment and tools."It took me quite a few days to come out to the farm and see all of it gone... it took me a few days to get used to it," he said.Some farmers are tackling the problem by hiring private security to watch their fields, complete with military-style surveillance training.One way police forces are trying to tackle this is through random vehicle checks.