Sixth arrest made in hare coursing investigation

A sixth man has been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and attending a hare coursing event after dozens of 4x4s swept through fields and villages in the Cambridgeshire Fens.

Cambridgeshire Police said a 30-year-old from Essex was arrested on Wednesday and is in custody at Thorpe Wood Police Station in Peterborough.

The force has been investigating multiple complaints of hare coursing, criminal damage and dangerous driving after incidents took place in nine areas of Cambridgeshire on Saturday, 25 January.

In their efforts, police have seized four vehicles in Grantham in Lincolnshire and Essex, alongside hare coursing equipment.

A local councillor described the incident as putting lives at risk, while farmers have been dealing with damage to their fields.

On Tuesday, police made three arrests including two men from Essex aged 22 and 51, and a 46-year-old man from Solihull was detained in Peterborough.

Last week, an 18-year-old man from Spalding and a 26-year-old man from Grantham were arrested.

The five men were all released on bail and must return to Thorpe Wood Police Station at a later date.

Their bail conditions include that they "must not shout at, swear at, or intimidate any persons" in 12 counties in the East of England and the East Midlands.

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