Men arrested in Fens hare coursing inquiry bailed

Two men from Lincolnshire were arrested as part of the police inquiry

Two men who were arrested on suspicion of hare coursing and violent disorder after dozens of 4x4s caused havoc in fields and villages across the Cambridgeshire Fens have been bailed.

A local councillor said lives were put at risk when vehicles, reportedly driven by men in balaclavas, sped through places such as Manea and surrounding farmland on Saturday, 25 January, causing widespread damage.

The men aged 18 and 26, from Lincolnshire, were arrested on Friday and have been bailed while investigations continue.

Cambridgeshire Police said their bail conditions include that they "must not shout at, swear at, or intimidate any persons" in 12 different counties.

They are Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.

The men have also been told they cannot drive on fields without written permission from the landowner, and been given restrictions on the possession of dogs and certain weapons.

Many fields and their crops were churned up by the vehicles

On Friday, police said they had seized four vehicles from Grantham in Lincolnshire and Essex, alongside hare coursing equipment, as part of their investigation.

There were reports of hare coursing and other incidents in Manea, Fordham, Ely, Prickwillow, Littleport, Welney, Chatteris, Wimblington and Doddington.