If metal thieves thought countryside gates were an easy target, they’d overlooked one thing – The Gate Appreciation Society and its 120,000 strong army of members.

As niche as it might sound, the group boasts a committed membership, which mobilised to take action following a number high value thefts at Nashenden Down nature reserve near Rochester.

One such incident saw a sheep handling system, worth thousands of pounds, stolen leaving the reserve’s 200 grazing animals at risk - but now Kent Wildlife Trust has teamed up with members of Facbeook group The Gate Appreciation Society to prevent further thefts.

Volunteers spent the day painting gates at Nashenden Down in bright purples, pinks, yellows and greens, using a special paint which is difficult to remove and reduces the ability to resell after theft.

The handiwork of the volunteers was posted on the society’s Facebook group, where members enjoy sharing everything from jokes to photos of impressive carpentry and welding work.

Kent Wildlife Trust Volunteer, Nigel Jennings said: “A short while back lots of our nearly new field gates were stolen. We have painted the replacements in garish colours with the intention of making their easy identification unattractive to further theft and resale.”

And he jokingly adding “I just hope we haven’t created a new market for art theft.”

The post has attracted around 1,000 likes and lots of discussion with fellow gate enthusiasts making comments such as “Dazzlegates!” with another adding “Gate idea!”

The action was co-ordinated by Kent Wildlife Trust’s Area Warden Robert Pennington, who said:“Whilst the gates look bright and cheery and the comments posted about them are fun, we have done this because thieves have repeatedly targeted us. Over the last few months over £20,000 of items have been stolen from our reserves and when gates are removed it puts the grazing animals within our sites at significant risk.

“I would like to thank the wonderful volunteers who gave up their day to, hopefully, prevent further thefts from our wildlife sites. It is a shame their time has been spent having to deter crime, rather than using their resources for the direct benefit of nature, however they did an excellent job.”

Visit Kent Wildlife Trust for more information on how you can help and follow the trust’s work.

The trust manages over nine thousand acres of land across more than eighty different sites and nature reserves, alongside three visitor centres.