Vehicles seized by rural crime team after hare coursing alert in Blyth

Police were called shortly after 8am on Sunday after men and dogs were spotted in a field near Blyth, along with a stranded vehicle.

Officers from the new Neighbourhood Rural Crime Team travelled to the scene immediately and soon found the two vehicles: a Vauxhall stuck in the mud and a Toyota Land Cruiser that had been abandoned.

Both vehicles were seized, and the driver of a third vehicle was reported for driving offences following an incident on roads in and around Blyth.

The driver of a fourth vehicle, meanwhile, was also served with a Community Protection Warning covering five regional police force areas 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, one of four members of the new team, said: "Hare coursing 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.

"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.

"As far as we know, no hares were harmed on this occasion, but it was certainly a very expensive and inconvenient morning for the people involved."

Inspector Rob Harrison, district commander for Bassetlaw and team lead, said: "When we launched this new team, we did so exactly for this reason – to take a proactive approach to protecting our rural communities from harm.

“I am delighted to see this approach is already reaping rewards and hope this incident serves to reassure our farmers about just how seriously we treat these offences."

The Neighbourhood Rural Crime Team has been formed to further enhance Nottinghamshire Police's response to rural crime.