Burglaries in rural homes and businesses increased by 6% in 1999, finds the NFU Mutual.
But the cost of equipment and vehicles stolen from farms declined from £93m in 1998 to £82m in 1999 – a drop of nearly 12%.
The cost of rural crime fell in all regions except Northern Ireland, the North West and the South West, where it rose. NFU Mutual underwriting manager Sid Gibson said: "In past times one of the joys of living in the countryside was low levels of crime – but sadly it's not safe to leave doors unlocked today."
