Police sergeant Vincent Logue was left with blackthorns in his hands and legs and PC Richard Barret covered in mud and wet through to his skin after they chased after illegal hare coursers on foot yesterday catching one and impounding one of their dogs.

The chase happened just south of Burbage at a location known locally as Marr Green after members of the public reported seeing men in a car trying to gain access to fields.

On Tuesday, as reported in today’s Gazette, PCSO Jon Mills had gone in search of men who were reported to be coursing in the Aldbourne area and spotted a suspicious 4X4 Subaru Legacy car that was registered to a Southampton owner but by the time he arrived the men had disappeared leaving one of their lurcher dogs running about the fields.

On ysterday afternoon the same car was reported at Burbage and Sgt Vincent Logue and PC Richard Barrett went to Marr Green where they saw the same Subaru and three men with three dogs.

The men split up and ran off and Sgt Logue took after one who was suspected to be the car driver and PC Barrett ran across the fields after the others and the police helicopter was tasked to join in the search which was hampered by heavy rain.

Sgt Logue said: “We saw three guys coming out of a field with three dogs and they gave us a bit of a run around and I had to go through a hedge and ended up getting thorns all over me but I managed to get one of them.

“We ended up in a small farmyard with chickens and geese and the lurcher had one of the geese in its mouth but I was able to remove the goose which was unharmed.

“Meanwhile Rich Barrett ran after the other two men and he chased them through fields as far as Easton Royal but they managed to give him the slip.”

This morning Sgt Logue said he was still picking thorns out of his hands and legs while PC Barrett’s boots were still at the side of a radiator drying out after his long chase.

The man who was arrested came from the Southampton area and was taken to Melksham divisional police HQ for questioning but after interview he was released without charge although the question of causing criminal damage to farm crops by driving around a field was still being considered by police.

Sgt Logue said the Subaru was ceased because it had been used in crime -- hare coursing has been illegal since the Hunting Act was passed in 2004 -- and would be disposed of.

The lurcher dog with the man that he arrested has been sent to a rescue centre and will eventually be rehomed