FOUR men have been charged after suspected poaching in South Wiltshire.

Following reports of suspicious activity in the Winterbourne Stoke area, at around 11am on Christmas Eve, four men were arrested at the scene and then charged Tuesday evening.

Those charged were Albert Smith, aged 53, and James Kempster, aged 33, both from Totton near Southampton, Freddy Hughes, aged 24, from Marchwood, Hampshire, and Albert Kempster, aged 25, from Weston-Super-Mare.

All four have been released on bail with the condition not to enter Wiltshire.

Before the arrests officers arrived on the private land and stopped four men travelling in a Mitsubishi Shogun. They also had two dogs with them.

A number of catapults were also discovered in the car and on one of the men.

Sargeant Tom Ellerby said: "Thanks to good information and intelligence from the local community we were able to stop the crime of poaching from taking place.

"I hope this sends a message to anyone considering coming into our county to carry out illegal acts in the countryside; we will take those reports of rural crime seriously and respond quickly and accordingly.

"I also hope this provides reassurance to those living in the quiet, rural parts of Wiltshire that we are here to help protect you.

"I'd also like to also thank colleagues from the Ministry of Defence Police who helped us out today - partnership working at its best."