220 solar panels stolen from Lincolnshire farm

Two high-value electric inverters and 220 solar panels have been stolen from a poultry unit in Lincolnshire.

Tom Craven discovered the theft last Friday (19 November) and has warned other farmers with solar panels to be extra vigilant.

The panels, worth an estimated £70,000, were taken from the back of an egg laying unit on Midville Lane, Stickney.

See also: Rural crime falls but farms still at risk from ‘slicker’ thieves

The unit houses 64,000 chickens and the panels supply part of the electricity, supported by a generator.

Email alert

Mr Craven said he had received an email alert telling him supply had been disrupted, which he thought was a temporary blip, but the raid was discovered the following evening.

The farmer believes the theft happened some time after dark on 16 November.

“Normally, we would be out there picking up eggs that have been laid outside, behind the unit where the panels are, but because they are new chickens, we didn’t go out there until the Friday, and that is when we noticed,” Mr Craven told Farmers Weekly.

“It’s not easy to have done, I don’t know how many of them there were, but it would have taken a fair while. It wouldn’t have been a quick job.”

Tighter security

The farmer reckoned it will take a month to get replacement solar panels and he said he would need to beef up security around the unit.

“I will have to relay all the wiring again because they cut that. We are going to have to look at some sort of secure compound and I am also speaking to someone about fibre optic wiring that connects the panels and sets off an alarm if supply is disrupted,” Mr Craven added.

Lincolnshire Police said anyone with information about the theft should call 101, quoting incident 187 of 19 November.