West Dorset MP Chris Loder has welcomed proposals to crackdown on the theft of tools, machinery and equipment in the UK.

The Conservative MP has praised a new Private Members Bill – the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill – which proposes new laws to break up the business model for those who steal machinery to sell second hand. 

Mr Loder cited the high numbers of rural thefts that occurred in Dorset recently in his support for the bill.

In the past year, the county has seen 253 incidents of rural crime, equating to five per week.

In 2020 alone, there were 23 reported thefts of high value farm machinery. These would class tractors, diggers and heavy machinery, not including most trade van break-ins.

Machinery, tools and vehicles account for 43% of reported incidents.

Mr Loder said in the House of Commons: "I am very pleased that these new measures will not just mitigate, but deter these crimes from taking place."

The measures serve to disrupt the business model of criminals selling stolen machinery through the second hand tools market, by mandating that sellers of second hand machinery must provide "unique identifiers for their items in a searchable format", meaning second hand machinery on the market must be proven to be from a legitimate source.

Mr Loder added: "It's tradesmen: carpenters, plumbers, roofers and farmers who depend on their tools and machinery for their livelihoods.

"Machinery theft stolen from vehicles alone doesn't just cost the economy £46million a year, it's the lost income, lost productivity and most importantly the mental health of those affected that I hope this bill will crack down on."