Farmer dyes sheep orange to stop them being stolen

The sheep’s strange colour makes them less prone to being stolen, apparently

John Heard put his 250 blackface ewes through a harmless dye to make them stand out and so less likely to be pinched. 

‘It produces strange-looking sheep but it has done the trick and I haven’t lost one this year,’ said Mr Heard, who says 200 of his sheep have been stolen in the past few years. 

'It works because they are so easy to distinguish making it easier for me and my neighbours to keep a wary eye out for them.' 

Sheep-rustling has become a big problem, with ewes worth about £140 each. 

The non-toxic dye eventually wears off the animals, who have been getting glances from bemused onlookers at their home on north Dartmoor, Devon.