People around Shepton Mallet and the wider Mendip area are being asked to watch for signs of poaching and other rural crime.

The Wells Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team, whose update covers the wider Wells and Mendip areas, says officers are continuing to work with farmers, communities and partner agencies through proactive patrols, community engagement and crime prevention advice.

Police say residents should be particularly alert during darker evenings and early mornings, when people involved in poaching may be active.

Poaching can include the illegal hunting of deer, hare or game, entering private land without permission and using lamps, lurchers or other night-hunting equipment.

Officers say the activity can damage farmland, put livestock at risk and harm wildlife. It can also involve trespassing and property damage.

Signs people are being asked to look out for include:

• Vehicles parked in gateways, tracks or lay-bys late at night
• Bright lamps or torches being swept across fields
• People with dogs or hunting equipment
• People accessing farmland without permission
• Suspicious activity in fields or woodland outside legal hunting seasons

Police say their wider rural crime work is aimed at protecting wildlife, farmland and local livelihoods, with information from residents and landowners helping officers identify suspicious activity.

Anyone who sees suspicious activity can contact Avon and Somerset Police on 101 or report it through the Avon and Somerset Police website.

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If a crime is taking place at the time, police advise calling 999.

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