Four charged with hunting deer with dogs in Lincolnshire

Coursing is the pursuit of game - including deer - or other animals by dogs

Four men have been charged with hunting deer with dogs, following an incident of poaching in Lincolnshire.

The men, all from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, were charged in connection with an offence in Irnham, near Grantham, overnight on Friday.

Lincolnshire Police said the men had been bailed to appear at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on 9 November.

Four dogs and a car have also been seized in connection with the incident.

The men were charged in connection with an offence in Irnham, near Grantham

The dogs will be cared for in kennels until permission to re-home them is received through the courts, police said.

The arrests are part of Operation Galileo, set up to target wildlife crime in the county.

Lincolnshire Police has recently introduced drones and all-terrain vehicles in a bid to clamp down on wildlife crime, including coursing - the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs.