Three men have been charged with hare coursing in East Cleveland, after police successfully deployed a drone to witness the criminals in the act.

The legislation means it is illegal to go equipped for, search for, or pursue hares with dogs, and an offence to trespass with intent to search for or pursue hares with dogs. A law which passed the courts in August 2022.

The three men were later caught and charged with community protection warning letters and one was found possessing cannabis, resulting in a warning.

This charge follows another recent finding of hare coursing when two other men were fined over £6,000 each.

The damage caused by hare coursers to fields, particularly fresh seedbeds, can leave farmers and landowners with significant crop damage totalling thousands of pounds in value.

Cleveland Police Chief Inspector Jon Hagen commented on the ‘very successful’ intervention: “It allowed us to provide reassurance, gather intelligence, and take action against those intent on causing crime or ASB in rural areas.”