Man arrested and injured dogs seized in badger baiting investigation

Police have arrested a man and seized his dogs in an investigation into badger baiting and animal welfare.

On Wednesday night, police responded to reports of poaching in a rural location north of Richmond.

Officers from Richmondshire Neighbourhood Policing Team attended and, after making enquiries at the scene, a man was detained.

He had three dogs with him which all had injuries. One was seriously hurt with deep cuts around its neck. They were taken into police care and treated by an RSPCA vet.

Police subsequently did a full search of the area and sadly they found a disturbed badger set and a dead badger.

The man, who is in his 20s and from the Sunderland area, has been arrested on suspicion of a wildlife offence, breeching a dog control order and theft of a mobile phone. He was questioned and bailed to allow for further investigations to take place.