POLICE have joined forces with the National Farmers Union to launch a campaign to combat professional thieves targeting rural areas.

Quad bikes, trailers, tools and light machinery are popular among criminals who travel long distances to steal property in North Yorkshire.

However, police will be targeting farms and auction marts in Wensleydale this autumn in an attempt to persuade more landowners to have their possessions security-marked.

Officers said that an indelible postcode could be enough to dissuade a thief.

Also, a marked item is more likely to be returned should the culprit ever be caught.

"A trailer stolen in Hawes three years ago has just turned up in the Scottish Highlands - proof that marking is a great tool for catching villains and returning property to its rightful owner,'' said Leyburn Sergeant Mick Rookes.

Farmers can foil thieves before they have had chance to strike, he said. "When high value items like quad bikes and trailers go missing, it's usually the work of organised gangs rather than an opportunist.

"They will have to come prepared and will probably need a van, so we want people to keep an eye out for vehicles they may not have seen before - particularly if there's more than one person in the cab."

He said anyone seeing anything suspicious could report the registration number of the vehicle to police.

Farmers are also being urged to review security around barns and outbuildings and to fit locks and security lights where necessary.

The NFU has already been helping to spread the message by alerting farmers to the initiative and helping gather landowners for property-marking sessions.

Sgt Rookes said: "We are all anxious to make a success of this. We ran a similar programme five years ago and there was a dramatic fall in the number of quad bikes and trailers stolen. That's what I want to see this time."