Gardaí are investigating the theft of fuel from a tractor and another vehicle in a farmyard in Co. Donegal.
The theft occurred in the Pettigo area of Co. Donegal sometime between Tuesday, June 4 and Wednesday, June 5.
Gardaí confirmed a report was received on the “theft from two vehicles parked” in the farmyard and that “investigations are ongoing” into the stolen fuel.
Gardaí in Donegal
Meanwhile, An Garda Síochána has received reports of men calling to the homes of elderly people and visiting retail carparks trying to sell products in Buncrana, Co. Donegal.
These men are offering to sell power tools and generators, and they are targeting the homes of elderly and vulnerable people, according to the An Garda Síochána Donegal Facebook post.
An Garda Síochána Donegal took to its social media platform to warn people of this activity and that any suspicious activity should be reported to a local garda station.
The gardaí urged the community of Buncrana to take note of any vehicles/callers that appear suspicious and to warn elderly/vulnerable family members, neighbours and friends to not buy items from these sellers.
Safely using a tractor in Donegal
In a post on social media, Gardaí in Donegal warned that at this time of year, there is usually an increase in the volume of agricultural vehicles on the roads.
They urged those travelling behind a tractor or other slow-moving vehicle, to be patient and not to be tempted to overtake in a dangerous manner.
Donegal gardaí issued the following advice:
- Always be on the lookout for farm machinery exiting fields and farmyards;
- Farmers need to be safety conscious too. If you become aware that the traffic is building up behind you, keep left when safe to do so in order to allow others to pass safely;
- Never use your mobile phone while driving farm machinery on public roads;
- Wash down all wheels regularly to avoid carrying mud and stones onto the public road;
- Be particularly careful when transporting material such as silage, slurry, sand and gravel so that it does not spill on the road and pose a risk to other road users;
- Do not overload trailers in a manner that would cause them to be unstable on the road;
- Look out for low bridges, overhanging trees, overhead cables and uneven road surfaces which could cause the load to shift and possibly overturn;
- Never let an inexperienced driver use machinery;
- Ensure that equipment/machinery has been serviced properly and is in good working order;
- Be careful when using equipment which you may not have used for some time.
The driving mirror must always provide an adequate view of the road and all agricultural vehicles must have proper working brakes on both tractor and trailer units.
All agricultural vehicles must be fitted with lights, reflectors and indicators.
Large farming vehicles should consider using an escort vehicle to warn other road users and ensure that tractors are driven at an appropriate speed for the road conditions.