Police are warning farmers and stable owners that bales of hay offer a tempting target to thieves.

Hay theft is soaring in neighbouring areas such as Kent, Cambridgeshire and the Thames Valley in response to the soaring price of wheat.

Officers are now expecting similar thefts in Hertfordshire.

Sergeant Jamie Bartlett, Hertfordshire's rural crime co-ordinator, said: "I would encourage people to protect their supplies by storing hay and straw in bins or even leaving it loose rather than in bales so it is more difficult to steal.

"With the possibility of hay and straw being in short supply, and therefore more expensive, in the coming months please think about ways of securing hay and straw."