Poachers are using catapults to kill pheasants in an increased number of hunting incidents during lockdown.

Officers from Gloucestershire's Rural Crime team are investigating a report of animal hunting which took place near Cirencester yesterday evening.

Police were called to reports of hare coursing and pheasant shooting in Elkstone shortly after 9.15pm.

Officers attended and located two vehicles which are believed to be connected.

Five men were spoken to and will now be interviewed under caution as part of ongoing enquiries.

A number of animals, catapults and other hunting paraphernalia were seized under the Poaching Prevention Act as part of the investigation

PC Ash Weller from the Rural Crime Team, said: "The team have been encountering a substantial increase in hunting incidents during the current lockdown where local farmers and game keepers have reported finding large quantities of pheasants being shot with catapults.

"The killing of game birds under these circumstances is an offence under the 1862 Poaching Prevention Act and we have directed our rural crime patrols to the areas where the reported offences were most prominent in a bid to catch those taking part.

"With assistance from our colleagues in the Specialist Operations teams we were able to locate five men and their vehicles last night before finding catapults, ball bearings and numerous dead pheasants inside.

"An investigation is now underway and we will be speaking to the gamekeeper who reported this before voluntarily interviewing the men and potentially summonsing them to court should the evidence allow."

Five men were issued with Coronavirus tickets, which are issued to people who are outside their homes without a reasonable excuse, in relation to the incident.

More information on the current restrictions can be found here.