Police have launched an autumn offensive against hare coursing, writes Tim Hughes.

The illegal bloodsport is a growing problem in south Oxfordshire, particularly on the rolling downland near Wantage.

Hare coursing is a bloody form of gambling in which participants stake large amounts of money on dogs that are trained to kill. Police are keen to stamp out the pastime, claiming many of the people who travel to the area to take part are known criminals.

Operation Field will involve setting up rapid-response teams made up of officers from the Southern Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Police Areas. Insp Stewart Haveron of Wantage and Faringdon police said: "This is the start of the hare coursing season and we are planning an operation to target it.

"A lot of hare coursers descend on the area and some are quite brazen.

"They know it is a difficult offence to prove and often threaten violence."

He added: "Although this area is not unique in having a problem with this activity, it is predominantly rural and significant areas of land are accessible through lanes, tracks and other public rights of way. "Part of our role is to offer some reassurance to landowners that although they live in a rural area they are still entitled to a police service."

Late summer and autumn are traditional peak seasons for hare coursing, with many fields clear of crops, allowing animals to be more easily spotted.

Anyone who suspects dog owners of hare coursing is advised not to approach the people, but to record descriptions and vehicle details and to call the police. Officers are appealing for information about the occupants of a red Subaru four-wheel-drive vehicle who are believed to have been involved in hare coursing at East Hendred, near Wantage, on Saturday.