A suspected poacher, who tried to escape police by running away into a ditch, has been arrested.

Police attended Thomsett Way in Queenborough following reports poaching was taking place on the land.

Upon arrival rural task force officers witnessed four people with eight Jack Russell type dogs flushing rabbits out of reeds and then chasing them.

A 33-year-old man attempted to evade officers by running away and into a dyke.

He was detained on October 21 and subsequently arrested for breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order which was in place due to previous similar offending.

Officers also issued a 32-year-old man with a Community Protection Warning and a 29-year-old man was issued with a Community Protection Notice.

The warning serves as a deterrent and if this is ignored then the next time they commit an offence they will be issued with a notice.

The notice details preventative conditions to prevent further offending, which includes not to trespass and/or walk dogs off leads on private land.

If the notice is breached the next step is arrest.

A 12-year-old boy who was also with the men was given words of warning.

The legislation applies across seven forces which are made up of Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Herefordshire, Cambridge and Bedfordshire.

The seven forces work supports Op Galileo – a national initiative set up to primarily combat hare coursing and poaching.

The agreement, which has been completed with the support of the Crown Prosecution Service, has allowed the seven forces to work as one when exercising certain powers.

This includes sharing interactions and movements, the use of automatic number plate recognition and seizing dogs.

Sydney Samuels, 33, of Castlerough Lane, Kemsley, Sittingbourne, has been charged with breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order.

He is due at Medway Magistrates’ Court on November 23.