'They are violent': Essex farmer hit by wave of hare coursing attacks

An Essex farmer says he fears for his safety after suffering more than 200 hare coursing incidents and repeated violent attacks in under a year, as rural crime continues to surge.

Matthew Register, who farms near Dunmow, has been assaulted 11 times by coursers and estimates the damage to his business has reached £30,000.

He said criminals are now on his land almost daily, often in multiple groups, carrying out illegal hare coursing — where dogs are used to chase hares for high-stakes betting.

The scale of the problem has forced a change in how he works.

“Nobody goes out on the farm on their own now, we always go out in groups,” he said.

Describing the threat posed by offenders, he added: “They are nasty, violent people. I’ve had some scary incidents.”

Mr Register said he has been “barricaded into a shed”, shot at with catapults and knocked off his bike, while offenders appear undeterred by the risk of being caught.

On one occasion, he said they “held a hare coursing event right in front of me” while he was out drilling.

In total, he has reported 198 incidents to Essex Police in the past eight months, with more than 220 believed to have taken place, including those not formally logged.

Despite installing gates, digging ditches and blocking entrances with machinery, he said little has worked — with security cameras smashed and defences repeatedly breached.

Mr Register warned that policing resources are struggling to keep pace with the scale of the problem.

“The police rural engagement team does their best, but they are small team and Essex is a big, rural, county. They need more resources,” he said.

He believes increased enforcement in neighbouring Cambridgeshire has displaced offenders into Essex, driving a sharp rise in incidents.

“We have had hare coursing here for more than 20 years, but it has increased massively over the last year,” he said.

“With the spotlight on Cambridgeshire, many hare coursers have moved over to Essex.”

Essex Police said there has been a national increase in hare coursing, partly due to last year’s hot, dry summer, which left fields “flat and bare” and easier for offenders to access.

A spokesperson said officers have stepped up patrols using marked and unmarked vehicles, alongside drones and thermal imaging.

“Since August 2025 we have seized seven vehicles… with 12 individuals caught and dealt with,” they said.

Police added they are working with affected farmers to improve security and gather evidence, while continuing to pursue enforcement measures including vehicle seizures and restrictions on offenders.

The NFU said the case reflects a wider issue affecting farmers across the region.

NFU adviser Hamish Debnam-Sharp said: “The situation this farmer, and many farmers across Essex are facing is completely unacceptable.”

He added the organisation would continue to push for stronger action and better resourcing for rural policing.

Recent changes in the law mean convicted hare coursers can now face unlimited fines, up to six months in prison, and increased powers for police to seize dogs.

Despite tougher penalties and increased enforcement, farmers warn the scale and frequency of hare coursing continues to outpace efforts to stop it.