Two vehicles seized after hare coursing alert

Police have seized two vehicles after officers received reports of a suspected hare coursing incident in Nottinghamshire.

Officers were called after men and dogs were spotted in a field near Blyth shortly after 08:00 GMT on Sunday.

Upon arrival, police found and seized a Vauxhall stuck in the mud and an abandoned Toyota Land Cruiser.

Nottinghamshire Police said it believed "no hares were harmed", and that it had been "a very expensive and inconvenient morning for the people involved".

The driver of a third vehicle was reported for driving offences following an incident on roads in and around Blyth, police added, while the driver of a fourth vehicle was given a community protection warning after hare coursing equipment was found inside.

The order formally links him to wildlife crime offences, and gives officers additional powers to arrest him and seize items in the future.

PC Hollie Marsh said hare coursing - the illegal pursuit of hares by dogs - "isn't just an animal welfare issue".

"It also causes significant harm and distress to our farmers, who have their crops damaged and livestock put at risk," Marsh said.

"It is also an activity linked to violent organised criminal gangs, who use the suffering of animals to make money through gambling.

"That is why we take reports of this nature so seriously and why we responded as we did in this case."

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