'A nightmare': Family's distress as thieves steal five-figure haul from Co Antrim farmyard

The McClintocks got in touch with the News Letter after the theft from a farmyard in the Moorfields area, about five miles to the east of Ballymena.

Karen McClintock said that thieves made off with money and machinery totalling roughly £20,000.

She wonders too if the thieves had used a drone to survey the site before striking.

Mrs McClintock said the theft targeted goods belonging to plant rental firm D&S Hire, which is run by her husband Philip and is based out of a portacabin on his parents' farm on the Craigstown Road.

She believes the thieves may have struck at around 2am on Monday, July 7, because the family's dogs were heard to bark then.

Mrs McClintock says that although it handles expensive plant, it is a small business, employing just her husband.

The intruders "broke in through a window and ransacked his office" said Mrs McClintock, taking roughly £1,000 or so in cash. They also stole:

An 8X5ft tipping trailer (new and shiny metallic);

A 16ft low-loader trailer (new, metallic);

A Honda TRX quad (red);

And another 16ft low-loader (metallic, second hand).

"This incident has had a serious financial and emotional impact on our household and the local farming community," said Mrs McClintock.

She said that in the days following the theft, another nearby business had noticed a drone hovering above its premises, making her wonder whether theives were using the technology to target property in the area.

Mrs McClintock (a mother-of-two who, like her husband, is in her 40s) said there is a belief that a two-week window of opportunity exists for getting stolen farm equipment back.

The thinking is that the theives stash the goods locally "until the heat's gone off" before moving them elsewhere.

"It's just been a shock," said the special needs teaching assistant.

"It's been emotional. It's a nightmare.

"See the amount of farmers roundabout who have had stuff stolen lately? This is just terrible. Rural crime is really on the up.

"This is people's livlihoods. Who has thousands of pounds lying around? Unless you're totally rich and well-off, nobody has that money."

The PSNI have appealed for information.

They said: "At approximately 8.15am [on July 7], it was reported that access had been gained to a business in the Craigstown Road area sometime overnight.

"Enquiries are ongoing and officers would ask anyone with any information on the whereabouts of these items or anyone who is offered these items for sale, is asked to contact police in Ballymena on 101 quoting reference number 241 07/07/25.

"A report can be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/."