Police are warning people to be on the look-out for poachers targeting a large herd of deer in Rutland.

Gamekeepers alerted officers that they believed poaching was going on.

Police have since arrested four men from South Yorkshire on suspicion of deer poaching.

They are continuing to investigate an incident last month.

Officers said they seized equipment and five lurcher and greyhound cross dogs from the men.

The dogs were later returned to the men, who have been released on police bail.

There about 1,000 deer – including fallow, roe and muntjac – which roam woodland close to the A1.

Officers believe it is the location that makes them an tempting target for poachers as they know they can escape from the area quickly.

Leicestershire police wildlife officer Neil Hughes said: "The public need to be aware this is happening."

He said poachers with dogs travelled to the Rutland and Lincolnshire border in the late summer when crops had been harvested.

Hare coursing also takes place, although police said that was more likely to take place in Lincolnshire which has larger, more open fields.

Rutland wildlife crime officer Steve Houghton said: "Local gamekeepers are good at keeping us informed and we want to encourage members of the public to let us know if they see cars or other vehicles driving round fields at night.

"There could easily be 1,000 deer in the Rutland area.

"Muntjac deer don't tend to be targeted because they're not so easy to find.

"I've seen groups of 90 to 120 deer gathered close to the A1 corridor so the poachers can be in and out quickly."

He added that some lamping – where poachers and legitimate hunters use lamps to transfix the animals – did go on in the area.

But he said if the police knew about it then they could check with the local gamekeeper.

A spokeswoman for the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust said: "There are more deer in Rutland because the habitat is better for them."

However, Lord Gainsborough, owner of the Exton Estate in Rutland, said poaching was not a massive problem.

He said: "There hasn't been a lot of poaching around here for the past few years."

Four men, aged between 28 and 32 from Doncaster and Rotherham, were arrested on suspicion of deer poaching on August 15. They have been released on police bail until the end of September.

It followed an incident between Great Casterton and Pickworth.