FOUR men have received a police caution for illegal fox hunting with dogs.
The men, understood to be from Barrow, Kirkby, Bardsea and Little Urswick admitted to the offence under the Hunting Act 2004.
The cautions followed an investigation by the League Against Cruel Sports in to illegal hunting methods in the area.
Local residents saw the group hunting with dogs on Broughton Moor on March 17 and reported the incident to the League via their wildlife crimewatch helpline.
The League then compiled a case file and passed the information to Cumbria police.
After conducting their own investigation, the police interviewed the men who confessed to illegally hunting a wild mammal with dogs.
Cumbria police confirmed that four men, Philip Harvey, Peter James Coward, Andrew Mitchel and Edward Kevin Benson were each served official police cautions for illegal hunting.
The men had worked for the Duddon Valley Fox Control Society, which had been granted permission by the Forestry Commission to carry out legal fox control in the area on specific dates.
A Forestry Commission spokesman said: “The Duddon Valley Fox Control Society had a permit to control foxes at Broughton Moor on specified dates during the period October 14, 2012 to March 31, 2013.
“The Forestry Commission permits fox control on the public forest land through a permissions system. The permission allows for fox control activities within the parameters of the Hunting Act, and emphasises the importance of animal welfare, safety and enjoyment of other forest users.”
Joe Duckworth, chief executive at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “Whilst we are pleased with the successful outcome of the case and admission of guilt made by the four offenders, this type of case is unfortunately not isolated.
“Illegal hunting is a widespread issue, which is why we have a team of professional investigators working up and down the country to capture illegal activity and bring those responsible to justice.”
Source: North-West Evening Mail
