POACHING, hare coursing and the hunting of rabbits and deer with dogs is being cracked down on by police.

Officers in Pendle are asking those in rural areas to report any suspicious activities around suspected poaching.

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Police said this types of countryside crime tended to spike during the harvest period when fields are cleared of crops and rabbit and hares have less natural cover.

Earlier this month a member of Pendle Rural Watch rang in a report of hare coursing or poaching with dogs in the Skipton Old Road area of Foulridge.

Continued n3 Police watch liaison officer, Keith Sandham, said: “Police patrols attended and within a very short time had identified a vehicle and two males, with running dogs, in the area.

“Both males were known to the police and were from Colne.

“Officers were able to stop the car and speak to the occupants in an effort to gather evidence.

“Unfortunately there was insufficient evidence to prosecute on this occasion but valuable intelligence was collected.”

Police said there had also been reports in the past month of a grey lurcher dog, with a red barrel on its collar seen running loose fields near Foulridge.

Mr Sandham added that the public should also be on the look out for a black Toyota RAV4 bearing a number similar to S507 HLG which should be reported if it was seen in rural areas.

Mr Sandham said the Foulridge incident showed how important it was for people to report incidents.

He said: “This incident is a fine example of rural and farm watch at work with members being alert and ringing the police promptly.

“The members involved are in no doubt that further damage may have been caused to either stock, wildlife or property had they not reported it.”

PC Nigel Keates, who works in Colne and West Craven area and is also a specialist wildlife officer for the east of the county, said: “Cases tend to increase at this time of year after the farmers clear their fields of the crops.

“Also full moons and clear skies mean poachers can hunt with dogs without using lamps at night time.

“Unfortunately there are cases where people use their dogs for hunting. primarily rabbits and deer.

“Hare coursing is a little less prevalent in East Lancashire as it tends to take part of large flat fields and the land around here tends to be much more undulating.

“The problem tend to be where there are suitable rural areas close to urban ones, such as the villages around Colne where people can maybe just travel a mile or two on foot from town out into the country.”

Hare coursing involves a captured hare being released and chased by hunting dogs. Spectators then bet on the number of turns made by the hare, how long it takes the dogs to catch and kill it, or the direction in which it will next turn.

There have also been incidents of deer carcases, thought to have been killed by poachers, being discovered in some parts of the Ribble Valley in recent years.

Lancashire Police also regularly work with neighbouring forces in West Yorkshire, Merseyside, Manchester and Cumbria to prevent criminals travelling across borders to commit rural crime in East Lancashire.