A SPATE of break-ins and thefts have plagued the Cotswolds.

Gloucestershire Constabulary is looking for the public’s support after a series of incidents across the area over recent days.

One incident, on Tuesday (April 25), saw offenders steal quad bikes from a farm in Stow, after they forced entry into an outbuilding.

There were similar scenes down in Lechlade.

Meanwhile, in Toddington, offenders forced entry to a van and stole around £15,000 worth of joinery tools.

And in Kemble, thieves broke into a container on a farm and stole high-end gardening equipment worth thousands of pounds.

The week before these thefts, a series of incidents took place which saw an electric bicycle, a quad bike and a trailer all taken.

In a bid to tackle the problem, officers will be conducting extra patrols.

Police are also asking people to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour.

Sergeant George Howe from the Cotswolds Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “We understand how much of an impact rural crime can have on victims livelihoods when items like tools and machinery are stolen.

"Often victims lose out on a lot of money due to needing to replace the stolen items or are unable to work completely which is not acceptable.

“We are determined to identify the offenders and I would like to remind residents of the importance of submitting information they have, no matter how big or small, as it could be the one thing we need to catch those responsible and stop anyone else from being targeted.

“Recently we have worked in conjunction with the Constabulary’s crime prevention team to run a number of SmartWater security marking events across the Cotswolds to try and help us link criminals we come across to the various burglaries we investigate.”