Newark police ask public to be considerate of farmers during harvest and offer advise about theft deterrents

The public are being asked by police to be considerate of farmers as they work during a busy agricultural period.

Newark Police shared a post to their rural villages facebook page from their Leicestershire counterparts, encouraging the public to be considerate of farmers as they work during harvest.

As the country deals with ongoing hot weather, crops will dry and become ready for combining, meaning farmers will be busy bringing in the cereal crop harvest before the weather turns.

This means increased farm traffic on roads including, slow moving tractors, bale lorries and corn carting.

The police urged the public to consider the hours farmers will be working during this period, saying : "Slow down. Be gracious. Give space for huge machinery in and out of gateways and bear in mind, some access may well be through villages and there could well be agricultural exemptions to weight restrictions."

It was also explained that noise and dust produced by harvest equipment is a normal part of country living and did not warrant calls of complaint.

This busy time also means that farms and machinery will be more visible and therefore become easy targets for thieves.

The police offered advice to those working and farming, saying that equipment such as GPS domes, diesel tanks and yards were particularly vulnerable to thieves if left and good deterrents include; datatagging, overt property markings, big gates and installing CCTV.

The post concluded with a message of thanks: "Take the time to pull over and acknowledge those working long hours in the field. Give them a wave. To the great British farmer. We thank you."