³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

A farmer has described the theft of 50 lambs as a "financial blow" but insisted it would not put him out of business.

The Texel and Suffolk-bred lambs were taken from a field on Tennaght Road in Claudy, Co Londonderry, between 19:00 GMT on Thursday and 07:00 on Friday.

Dermot Mullan, 42, said it was a "well-planned operation" and would cost him up to £7,000.

He said it had to involve several people and, possibly, dogs.

The family farm, which Dermot runs alongside an electrical business, was left to him by his late father.

He said he was still trying to come to terms with the loss of the lambs and was not confident of ever seeing them again.

"I'm still in shock about it because I just didn't think this would happen at all," he said.

"I thought we were past this sort of carry-on.

"There must have been watch vehicles at each end of the road there.

"It would have been a two-or three-man operation and a sheepdog or two as well, so quite an operation to remove them from the field and get them loaded onto a trailer along the road."

The police said it was too early to link the incident to the theft of a "significant" number of sheep in the Hamillstown Lane area of Portglenone, County Antrim, at the weekend and a similar incident in Coleraine in November.

That happened when a "substantial number" of sheep were taken from a field in Rhee Lane.

Officers found rope securing a farm gate had been cut and, at the time, appealed for anyone who "spotted any unknown vehicles such as trailers" to get in touch.

Inspector Moore, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said: "The current prices sheep are attracting, although good news for the farming industry, does then lend itself as being a target for criminals intent on making money from their criminality.

"Prevention of rural crime is so important, but this type of theft needs the cooperation from farmers and the wider rural community, to work together and combat it by taking proactive safety measures to ensuring their flock is secure at all times."