Five men have pleaded guilty to hare coursing in Flixton, near Bungay.

A group of illegal hare coursers who drove 150 miles to let their dogs chase hares in north Suffolk were fined and banned from driving yesterday.

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Eddie Cole, Matthew Giles, Tony Giles, Nelson Hedges and Matthew Wenman were each fined £1,000 and banned from driving for 56 days after they pleaded guilty to hunting a wild mammal with a dog.

Magistrates heard the five defendants had driven up from Surrey and Sussex with five dogs on December 12 and allowed their dogs to chase hares in a field in Flixton, near Bungay. At least one hare was killed by the packs of dog, which included a spring spaniel, a terrier and a seven-month-old puppy.

Colette Griffiths, prosecuting said the five men were found by police stretched out in a line as the dogs chased a hare which was killed.

Police had arrived at the field after a farmer in another field had noticed the men acting suspiciously and alerted officers.

The court heard the men had come to the area after they arranged with a farmer to chase animals on his land, a practice that is legal under the Hunting Act 2004 if given permission by a land owner. However once in the area the men could not get in touch with the farmer and decided to release their pets in other fields.

Martin Crawford-Brown, mitigating for all five defendants, said it was never the men’s original intention as they travelled up to illegally hare course on other land.

Mr Crawford-Brown said: “At this stage the boundary of illegality and legality became blurred.”

Cole, 28 from Rudwick, Sussex, Matthew Giles, 31 and his cousin Tony Giles, 25, both from Cranleigh , Surrey, Hedges, 23, from Normandy, Surrey and Wenman, 26, from Rudwick, Sussex, were banned from driving for 56 days as a vehicle had been used in the commission of an offence.

Mr Crawford-Brown said a driving ban would affect each defendant as they needed to drive for their jobs.

He added: “They are all extremely remorseful. They recognise the consequences of their actions.”

As well as the £1,000 fine each defendant must pay £100 in costs and surcharges.