Two quad bikes have been stolen from farms in north Kildare in recent days. A 2017 Honda 500, worth approximately €7,000, was stolen from locked sheds on the dairy farm of Derek Tierney at Coolcarrigan, Donadea, over the June bank holiday weekend.

Tierney said that the thieves broke the switch unit on a roller door, crossed wiring and were then able to roll up the door. “Farmers can’t presume that roller doors are 100% secure,” he said. “The switch unit operates at just 12v which makes it easier for them. It also indicates that these thieves had knowledge of what they were doing. They seem to be targeting farmyards which are near public roads.”

The thieves also took a smaller, child’s quad bike from the farm, angle grinders and similar small tools.

Target

A second quad was taken from the yard of a part time drystock farmer in the same area, the following weekend. A number of other residences were also targeted, with ride-on lawn mowers taken. Also in recent days the residence of a vet in nearby Carbury was burgled, with domestic power tools taken.

There have been a steady series of quad thefts in the county over the past two years.

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Thieves targeting quads in north Kildare

There have been a spate of thefts from farms in the area over the past fortnight.