Jeremy Clarkson’s supposedly stolen sheep were never stolen at all, police have revealed — they had simply been miscounted.

A police investigation was launched after 11 sheep were believed to have disappeared from Diddly Squat Farm, near Chadlington in Oxfordshire.

The suspected theft attracted national attention after Thames Valley Police received a report on 2 September and began making enquiries.

Clarkson, 66, was reported to have discovered the apparent disappearance while counting his flock with Clarkson’s Farm co-star Kaleb Cooper.

The former Top Gear and The Grand Tour presenter subsequently appealed for whoever was responsible to return the animals.

The sheep were reported to have a combined market value of more than £2,000, while concerns were also raised that animals elsewhere on the farm could have been targeted.

POLICE REVEAL THERE WAS NO THEFT

But the mystery has now been solved — and there was no sheep rustling operation at Diddly Squat Farm.

Every animal has been accounted for.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said:

“Following enquiries into a reported sheep theft near Chadlington, reported on 2 September, it has been confirmed that no sheep were stolen.

“An accidental miscount was behind the report, and all sheep have now been accounted for.”

The police update means there is no longer believed to have been any criminality connected with the disappearance.

Diddly Squat Farm has become internationally recognised through the Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm, which documents Clarkson’s attempts to operate the Oxfordshire farm.