People with lurchers illegally hunting in Offaly

There have been a number of incidents of hares being illegally hunted with lurchers in the Birr area during recent weeks.

According to gardai, the incidents are occurring during the day in rural areas in the region around Birr town.

“We have had a number of complaints from farmers and landowners about people going onto their lands during daylight hours and hunting hares,” a Garda spokesperson said.

“They are trespassing and it's illegal to hunt hares with lurchers. We are asking landowners if they see this activity happening to please contact us and we will deal with it.”

Gardaí in Birr can be contacted on 057 91 69710 or 057 91 20016.