Cambridgeshire Police’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) has dismantled 39 cannabis factories and seized plants worth more than £1 million this summer.

They have also secured 30 prosecutions for various offences, ranging from supplying or producing class A and B drugs to poaching and possession of firearms, and seized 42 vehicles for being stolen or having no insurance or tax.

In addition, 22 items of stolen farm machinery, including plant and trailers, have been recovered - and all between April and September.

RCAT sergeant Craig Flavell said: "These statistics are testament to some great proactive policing and help reinforce that our officers can't be everywhere, but could be anywhere.

"Our work has helped take drugs off the streets and recover stolen vehicles and power tools - often a big concern in rural communities across Cambridgeshire.

"We've also worked closely with neighbourhood policing teams over the past few months, assisting them on warrants and operations.

"We have had a very successful summer of enforcement in terms of rural crime. Hare coursing season is now upon us and continues to be one of the biggest issues our rural communities face.

"I would urge the public to help us tackle it by reporting any suspicions, no matter how insignificant they may seem.

"The most obvious sign of hare coursing is a group of vehicles parked in a rural area with dogs, perhaps by a gateway to farmland or on a grass verge."

"Anyone who sees hare coursing taking place is asked to contact police immediately on 999 and provide officers with a description of the people involved, any registration numbers and vehicle descriptions and the location and direction of travel.

"It's important people don't confront hare coursers or put themselves at risk.

"If you have information about hare coursing and it's not currently happening, or have been a victim of the crime, please call 101 or report online at www.cambs.police.uk/report. If a crime is in progress call 999."

RCAT have their own Twitter account to engage with rural communities in the county.

The social network is used to promote the work the team does to keep rural areas of Cambridgeshire safe and enable officers to engage directly with those interested in rural crime.

You can find the account on Twitter by following @CambsRuralCops and also searching the hashtag #RCAT.