A farmer in Teesdale is appealing for information after thieves returned three times to steal thousands of pounds-worth of stone walls from his fields.

The crooks took the 100-year-old walls from Brian Lee's Carr House Farm, near Staindrop, in Teesdale, on 16 and 18 November and turned up again on Tuesday night (24 November) to top up their supply, concentrating on coping stone.

Brian's family has owned the farm for more than 100 years. He told the Northern Echo newspaper that more than 175m² of the stone from a wall leading to the farm had now been taken.

If someone you know is selling cheap walling stone or offering to build walls cheaply, you might like to call the police on 101.

“The gates are locked for the buildings and the yard, but what can you do in the open countryside,” said Brian. “It’s natural stone. Even though we have had some stolen years ago, it’s never been to this extent. I want people to look out for it and if anyone sees it to call the police.”