A POLICE crackdown on poaching has resulted in officers seizing a vehicle suspected of being involved in the illegal activity.

At 11.15am on Sunday, North Yorkshire Police received calls from local residents reporting a group of men with lurcher dogs suspected of poaching near Sutton-on-the-Forest.

Officers from the Rural Taskforce were on patrol nearby, to deal with such reports.

They attended immediately and seized a silver Nissan X-Trail on Main Street and reported a 28-year-old man for driving without insurance.

The car may be sold or scrapped within 14 days if the owner cannot produce a valid certificate of insurance.

Earlier this year, North Yorkshire Police warned poachers that their illegal behaviour would not be tolerated.

North Yorkshire has large, isolated areas of farmland, forestry and lakes, which tend to be vulnerable to poaching activity and as part of Operation Galileo, police forces are working together to ensure the issue is tackled in a co-ordinated way, by sharing information and working across force boundaries.

In addition to being a wildlife crime, poaching on farmland can cause significant damage to young crops, resulting in large financial losses for farmers.