Lifestyle block owners warned after sheep rustlers swoop

Waipukurau police are warning residents to be extra vigilant in the wake of lambs being taken from several lifestyle blocks.

Senior Constable Glynn Sharp said the reports had come mainly from lifestyle blocks in the Tamumu Rd area of Waipawa.

"A resident told us he had heard his dog barking one night recently and he went out to investigate. He found one of his lambs lying beside the road with a head injury.

"At first he thought it had been hit by a car, but then later he found two others tangled up in a length of cord, which had been deliberately strung out across the paddock in order to snare the lambs."

Mr Sharp said the resident noticed the next morning that his neighbour appeared to have had a similar incident with his lambs.

"Because of their small paddocks and often tame, quiet livestock, lifestyle blocks are easy targets for stock thieves," he said.

Police advised small block owners to be more vigilant than normal, especially with the Christmas season approaching. APN News & Media