A partnership of police, landowners, farmers and countryside residents is clamping down on illegal hare coursing.

Hefty fines by magistrates backing up the prosecutions are getting the message across that south Oxfordshire is a no-go area for the hare coursers. The activity involves betting on whether a dog can catch a hare.

Didcot magistrates have imposed fines totalling £6,765 in the last six weeks. The prosecutions all followed Operation Migrate.

Community safety officer Pc Pete Hale said: "The severity of the fines imposed is an indication of how seriously this problem is being taken.

"The success of the operation against hare coursing is a tribute to the marvellous commitment of the rural community to stamping out this menace. Every year, hare coursers cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to the countryside.

"They also intimidate and sometimes assault local people. Now the police have formed a very real partnerships with landowners, farmers and other country dwellers we can fight back."

Three men were each fined £250 and ordered to pay £55 costs after admitting entering land in Letcombe Bassett in pursuit of game. They were Kerry Trew, 27, Hugh John Davis, 23, and Paul Vowles, 27, all from Gwent.

Youths aged 16 and 17 from Worcester admitted entering land in South Stoke, near Wallingford, and Chain Hill at Wantage. Both have been bailed pending reports.

Albert Ayres, 36, of Westbury, Wiltshire, was fined £60 for overloading his vehicle, and having filthy rear windows and a dirty number plate after being stopped by officers.

In December, 15 illegal hare coursers were given fines ranging from £155 to £510.

Three were also ordered to forfeit their vehicles.