FARMERS around Wrenbury and Audlem have been warned to remove their tractor's GPS systems overnight to protect from thieves.

Cheshire Police's Rural Crime Team have recently been patrolling the county's Shropshire border, stopping suspicious vehicles in relation to recent agricultural equipment thefts.

PC Ashley Tether, who was involved in the operation, urged farmers to take precautions to protect their equipment.

He said: "We have been patrolling around Wrenbury, Aston and Audlem stopping vehicles which come to our attention.

"I would urge owners of tractors to consider removing GPS systems from your vehicles, when not in use, to prevent them from being stolen.

"It’ll only take 5-10 minutes to remove this equipment.

"In the long run though, this will save time and costs associated with the purchase of a new system and prevent loss of yields.

"Also, consider recording any serial numbers of these GPS systems which, if recovered, give us a higher chance of returning the devices to their rightful owners.

"If you are unfortunate enough to be a victim of this type of theft, please report this matter to Cheshire Police Rural Crime Team via 101, or if it’s in progress, call 999 who will investigate.

"Please consider CCTV and crime scene forensics; covering the tractor preserving any footwear marks."