Last updated at 12:21, Friday, 13 February 2009

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MORE than a dozen bags of venison and an air gun have been seized from a Millom home following a police crackdown on poaching.
The tranquility of a Millom Street was shattered when police pounced on the Lonsdale Road house at around 10.30am yesterday.
Only yards away from children playing at a nearby school, officers entered the house and found bags and a blood-stained van.
The raid was a joint operation between Cumbria wildlife crime officers, the tactical support group, Lancashire wildlife crime officers, and an investigator from the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
The raid was one of the first of its kind in the country. Cumbria wildlife crime coordinator PC John Shaw led the operation.
He said: “There is a lot of stuff that has been seized including what appears to be an air gun. We will examine the evidence and also see how powerful the air gun is.”
Neighbours described the area as “decent”.
A 48-year-old Millom man was arrested in connection with the raid under suspicion of taking/ killing/ injuring a deer without consent. He has now been released on police bail until April 23.
He has not been charged.
PC Duncan Thomas, wildlife officer for Lancashire police was present at the raid.
He said: “This is a massive step forward.
“It will send out a really clear message to the deer hunting community that both Cumbria and Lancashire police are taking every opportunity to tackle these crimes.”
The warrant was carried out under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

First published at 09:22, Friday, 13 February 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk