Lambing tragedy as thieves strike Warton farm

A farmers daughter has spoken of her disgust after thieves stole their farm pickup whilst their sheep was in labour.
Sarah Robinson and her father Robert Pennington on Greenbank Farm.Sarah Robinson and her father Robert Pennington on Greenbank Farm.
Sarah Robinson and her father Robert Pennington on Greenbank Farm.

Thieves seized the opportunity to steal the blue pickup truck when the couple tended to their sheep in the nearby barn.

Sarah Robinson and dad Robert Pennington desperately tried to help the sheep who was having difficulty giving birth to two lambs.

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The sheep needed to be taken to the vets in their Mitsibushi L200 pickup but thieves made off with it in minutes and the two lambs later died.

The stolen pickup on Greenbank farm in Warton.The stolen pickup on Greenbank farm in Warton.
The stolen pickup on Greenbank farm in Warton.

Sarah who help run the family farm in Warton, has described the night, on Tuesday March 29, as “horrendous” as the theft comes at the busiest time – lambing season.

The 38-year-old said: “My dad went out of the yard and attached the pick up to the trailer and came back to get the sheep, when we came out it had gone.

“It is disgusting. I think they must have been down there having a snoop, it is such a big farm, plenty of places to hide.

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“We didn’t think at 1.30am people would want our old pick up, but that was our livelihood, almost like our ambulance.

The stolen pickup on Greenbank farm in Warton.The stolen pickup on Greenbank farm in Warton.
The stolen pickup on Greenbank farm in Warton.

“It is very frustrating, it is our only farm vehicle, we can borrow a friends but we need our own. We are right in the middle of lambing, we are really tired, it is another thing to stress about.

“We are just trying to do our job but we were having to deal with the fact that someone had come onto our property, we didn’t know what else they had taken and we were worried they were going to come back.”

Power tools were also stolen along with the pick up, totalling a loss of more than £5,000 for Greenbank Farm.

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Sarah is unsure whether the vet could have saved the lambs but is certain the sheep would not have suffered a prolonged and traumatic birth.

She said: “It was pretty horrendous. It is obviously upsetting when people blatantly steal from you. We are hoping the police will track it down.”

Lancaster Police are appealing for information regarding the theft on Tuesday March 29 at 1.30am.

Anyone who may know the whereabouts or may have seen the blue Mitsibushi L200 (licence plate: ST03ONG) is urged to get in touch with the police on 101.

Or you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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