CRIME gangs are sending 'barbaric' poachers to kill deer and sell the meat to restaurants after the recession created a black-market for venison.

Police said they had sent warning letters to 20 suspects in East Lancashire after revealing there had been more than 130 reported incidents in the past year.

The poachers, said to be from Burnley, Nelson and Colne, are targeting Ribble Valley farmland on an almost daily basis.

They use lamps to startle deer, before setting specially-bred killer dogs - often crossbreed lurchers - on them.

Police believe the poachers even bet large sums of money on whose dog will make the quickest kill.

Officers said a number of businesses in East Lancashire, including small pubs and restaurants, regularly purchased the cheaper meat due to the pressure of the recession.

The black market deer is sold as whole carcasses to restaurants for £80 to £100. A 4lb cut can fetch up to £15 on the black market.

A deer bought legally would normally cost more than £160 with a 4lb piece costing more than £23.

John Pratt, a gamekeeper in Gisburn and Sawley, said he had come to the end of his tether with the problem. Two of his deer were killed last week.

He said: “They are illegally killed, caught and sold. The methods which they use are barbaric and often they will kill a female deer and leave its baby to die.

“It's not really about the cost to the gamekeepers. We are more concerned about the distress they are causing the animals and also the other farm thefts that the poachers are involved in.”

Police have launched Operation Sika in a bid to quell the practice after 132 reported incidents in East Lancashire in a year.

As well as the warning letters, they are to increase patrols in hotspot areas.

Lancashire police wildlife officer PC Carl Chew said: "It’s the sheer cruelty of the methods used by poachers, the associated criminality and the lack of standards in terms of game and venison handling that concerns us.

“Poachers will target deer indiscriminately and will have no respect for the females of the species with dependant or suckling young.

“As well as taking animals, poachers are often responsible for thefts from farms and rural areas, so it is not just the local wildlife that is affected by them but also rural residents."

PC Chew said that the poachers did not often use guns.

He said: "They would need a high powered rifle or shotgun to bring a deer down. Rural crime tends to be committed by organised criminal gangs in pursuit of game, often with dogs coursing for rabbits, hares and deer and in particular the prized Sika deer.

“Many of these known targets and their associates have previous convictions for dishonesty, burglary, violence, drugs and motoring offences.

"The venison is being sold to local pubs or through the odd backdoor of restaurants for a marked down price. There are hundreds of places selling venison now ."

PC Chew said the poachers were committing an offence under the Hunting Act 2005 which says it is an offence for anyone to kill a mammal with a dog, unless fulfilling the criteria of a hunt or acting to control hares or foxes with the landowner's permission.

Hundreds of deer are lawfully and professionally culled by trained deer stalkers every year.

Samlesbury farmer Eddie Cowpe, who also owns Huntley’s Farm Shop in the village, said: "Anyone who is a licensed game dealer wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.”

Police are appealing for anyone with information to call 0845 1253545 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.