ARMED police have seized weapons after swooping on a house in the New Forest.

Officers with guns were called to Kewlake Lane in Cadnam after a member of the public spotted what they thought was four men in a black vehicle with rifles.

After racing to the scene, police seized air pellets, an air rifle and a catapult.

Four men, three in their 20s and one 18-year-old, all from the Southampton area, were arrested on suspicion of poaching offences.

They have since been released with no further action to be taken following the incident shortly before 7pm on Friday.

For centuries, poaching was an illicit way for poor people living in rural areas to supplement their meagre diet.

But poachers are often terrifying figures carrying rifles and crossbows making huge profits by selling meat on the black market.

Gamekeepers patrolling isolated areas know they are likely to come face to face with menacing groups intent on killing stock – often in barbaric ways.

Hare coursing begins once crops have been harvested and the animals are easier to spot.

Game birds are plentiful at the start of the shooting season and deer are a prime target in the run-up to Christmas, when the demand for black market meat is at its highest.

Poachers stand to make hundreds of pounds a night by selling stolen game to shops, hotels and restaurants.

Unlike their predecessors, people working on rural estates are equipped with mobile phones and shortwave radios that enable them to summon help in an emergency.

One New Forest gamekeeper said: “You’re constantly aware that you may come into contact with someone who’s up to no good.

“You have to react to the situation otherwise word will go around, but you must inform someone else that there’s a problem and get assistance. Luckily our communications systems are better than they used to be."

Police urged anyone who sees any suspicious activity in rural areas to call them on 101.