We’re offering advice following some recent rural battery thefts on the Isle of Wight.

Between 24 and 26 January this year, large batteries were stolen from rural areas in Cowes, Shorwell, Yarmouth and Brighstone.

Our specialist Country Watch team will be following up enquiries into these incidents, and in the mean time we are urging rural communities to be aware of our ‘Paint it Pink’ advice.

Batteries such as those used in vehicles and for electric fences can be a popular choice for thieves, who sell them at scrapyards for their lead content. Battery theft not only puts owners at a financial loss but also, in some cases, this type of crime is a risk to livestock escaping.

Ensure thieves don’t want your batteries by etching your unique postcode onto them and painting them pink to make them unmissable! Marking them in this way deters thieves from stealing them as there’s a better chance of detection. Take a look at our flyer here for full details: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/hampshire/advice/paint-it-pink-a5-leaflet.pdf?_t_ip=157.55.39.42