A FARMER has been left devastated after rustlers stole lambs worth thousands of pounds the night they were to have been taken to the market.

The thieves truck on Harehill Moor, near Haswell Plough, east Durham, stealing 76 texel lambs worth about £8,000, between Wednesday (October 22) and Thursday (October 23).

Barry Knight , 64, said: “We just had just sorted them and them penned last to take to the market.

“When I returned the following morning they were gone - stolen.

"They were all four to five months old.

"This is the first time in 25 years anything like this has happened to me. I’ve never been a victim of sheep rustling before.

it’s just not known around here – sheep going missing.

Mr Knight, who owns a farm at nearby Trimdon, added: “They (the thieves) would have known what they were doing. They would have just fitted all the lambs in a stock trailer, but it would be tight.

"All the lambs were marked. Whoever stole them would just cut the tags and put their own in. But you have to own sheep to be able to buy the tags to do it."

Anyone with information should contact Peterlee police via 101 or Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.