A DOG and a car have been seized from a County Durham man who travelled to another county for hare coursing.

John Latcham, 28, was spotted allowing a lurcher dog to chase a hare on land at Well, near Bedale.

North Yorkshire Police officers attended and issued him with a Dispersal Notice, requiring him to leave the area immediately.

The two-year-old male dog was found nearby with a hare carcass, and was taken by police to a secure kennels.

Latcham, from Butterknowle, Durham, was charged with hunting a wild mammal with a dog and was found guilty in his absence at Northallerton Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

He was fined £660, and ordered to pay £151 in costs and charges.

Forfeiture orders were made for his Ford Mondeo, a slip dog lead, and the dog, which will now be re-homed.

Inspector Jon Grainge, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “Latcham travelled a considerable distance to commit this offence. The sentence imposed should send a clear message that North Yorkshire Police will not tolerate this offending in our communities, and deal with all reports robustly.”