A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to 50 hours of community service and ordered to pay £295 for stealing a tractor from outside a Royston farm.

Jamie Kirkland from Shefford pleaded guilty to stealing the tractor and trailer from Hatchpen Farm in The Joint and was sentenced at Hatfield Remand Court on Saturday.

The incident happened at about 8pm on Friday, August 14, when the tractor and trailer were stolen from outside the farm.

A few days after the theft, Mr Kirkland admitted stealing the tractor to the owners and said he would meet with them to show where it was hidden. On the way to meet him, the owners found the stolen machinery themselves and Kirkland did not turn up to meet them as promised.

Following police investigations Kirkland, from Lancaster Place in Shefford, was arrested on the morning of Friday, August 21. He was charged and detained and appeared at Hatfield Remand Court the following day where he pleaded guilty.

Investigating officer PC Mike Hardiman from Royston’s rural safer neighbourhood team said: “I am delighted that we caught up with Jamie Kirkland and that he has now been held accountable for this crime.

“Rural areas of the county can often be thought of as more vulnerable to crime. We are determined for this not to be the case though so will continue to crack down on offences in rural parts of Royston and send out a message to would-be criminals that we have a strong policing presence here.

“Members of the public can help us in the fight against crime in Royston’s countryside by reporting anything suspicious to us on 101.”

Royston Safer Neighbourhood Team has dedicated officers responsible for dealing with rural crime issues happening in the area’s vast expanse of countryside. The main issues the officers tackle include burglary of sheds and outbuildings, speeding through lanes and villages and anti-social behaviour such as fly-tipping.