Police are continuing to tackle rural crime in Hampshire.

Offenders have been taking advantage of the darker evenings to target fields, isolated communities, and rural estates.

This has led to rural properties being burgled, with power tools, quad bikes, and farm machinery being stolen.

Crimes against the county's wildlife, including poaching and hare coursing, have also been reported.

On Thursday night, officers responded to reports of suspicious activity at a fishery on the River Test.

They found two teenage boys, aged 13 and 14, trespassing on nearby farmland in East Wellow, near Ower.

A bag containing two dead hares was retrieved from a bush, and the Country Watch team is investigating further.

Several farms around Stratfield Saye and rural Basingstoke were also burgled last week.

Deputy chief constable Sam de Reya joined officers in a night-time operation to disrupt these criminals.

The operation was led by the specialist Country Watch team and supported by neighbourhoods policing, armed response, the dog unit, National Police Air Service (NPAS), and colleagues from Surrey.

Local gamekeepers and estate security managers also collaborated, alerting officers to suspicious or criminal activities.

A large area, including Basingstoke, Test Valley, Winchester, Hart, and East Hampshire, was covered by patrols.

In the north of the county, officers were interested in a silver Honda CR-V suspected of involvement in earlier burglaries.

The vehicle, which failed to stop for police, was later found burnt out.

Investigations are ongoing.

Units also conducted a number of stop checks of vehicles in the county which were being driven in rural areas late at night, including in Tadley and Andover, and other areas within the Test Valley, Winchester and Hart districts.

One vehicle, which was not fully defrosted, was spotted speeding on icy roads in Longmoor. The vehicle was stopped and the driver was given a word of warning by police, while another vehicle was seized by police in Popham as the driver had no licence.

If you have information about crime or suspicious activity, report it to the police on 101 or via the report tool at hampshire.police.uk.