Police warn armed poachers are 'not Claude Greengrass characters after a rabbit for the pot'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Police have warned that poachers spotted out hunting with dogs and guns are 'not Claude Greengrass characters' and instead 'want to inflict cruelty on wildlife'.

Officers took to Facebook to inform residents in Rossendale, near Bury, about reports of people seen hunting animals during the day and at night.

But, unlike popular Hearbeat character Claude, police say these poachers do not need the animals to eat and are instead breaking the law and being cruel. READ MORE:Counter terrorism police arrest man in Manchester over Texas siege In a post on the social media site, a police spokesperson said the force had increased their patrols in the area.

They said: "Over the last couple of weeks there have been several reports of poaching during the day and at night. "(There are reports of) people trespassing on land with Lurcher dogs and people trespassing on land with firearms. "They are not the Claude Greengrass characters after a rabbit for the pot but instead people that want to inflict cruelty on wildlife using dogs or shoot illegally. "Rossendale Rural Taskforce last week patrolled areas of concern on nights and this week have responded to reports during the day. "By being visible in these more remote areas we hope to have deterred such activity." If you have information on people involved in this type of crime, you can contact Lancashire Police on 101 or via online reporting. If you want to remain anonymous you can report through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Sign up to the MEN email newsletters to get the latest on sport, news, what's on and more by following this link