Police officers from Hitchin’s rural safer neighbourhood team have warned would-be poachers that they’re committed to cracking down on the rural crime after issuing two cautions to offenders they caught red-handed.

And they’ve asked the public to keep them in the picture about anyone acting suspiciously in the countryside so that they can keep a lid on offenders aiming to help themselves to game birds for the pot or profit.

Both men who were stopped in isolated areas of North Herts not far from the Luton Airport site came from Dunstable.

The first, a 31-year-old, was caught by a patrol team in Lawrence End Road, Peter’s Green, with four dead pheasants which he had shot earlier that day.

And a 20-year old man had a similar bag when he was stopped in nearby Diamond End the following day.

Team sergeant Stephen Oliphant said: “Officers regularly patrol rural areas and will not tolerate poachers.

“We will always take positive action to help keep our rural communities safe and would encourage anyone with information about anything they may find suspicious or concerning to contact us as soon as possible.”

You can make reports via the police non-emergency number 101, but in an emergency or if you witness a crime on-going dial dial 999.