Farmers Stop Van After Police Alert

A van seized by Police in Naseby in connection with illegal sheep butchery has been eliminated from enquiries.

A group of farmers stopped the Ford Transit on Wednesday afternoon after officers asked for sightings of it.

A forensic examination of the vehicle has found it was not linked to the killing of animals.

Sergeant Sam Dobbs said: “After issuing our Neighbourhood Alert message asking people to keep an eye out for this van we had a fantastic response in terms of sightings and information.

“We acted on this information to stop the vehicle and speak to those travelling in it. As they were not able to explain why they had been in Naseby, or a number of other Northamptonshire villages, officers seized the van for examination, which has shown it is not linked to Operation Stock offences.

“Information from our communities is vital to this investigation and I’d like to thank everyone who enabled us to catch up with this vehicle and rule it out of our enquiries. Please keep reporting any suspicious activity to us by calling 101 and quoting Op Stock, or 999 in an emergency.”

75 sheep have been killed in Northamptonshire this year, with most incidents happening in the past few weeks.  A number have been killed in Leicestershire and Warwickshire too.