POLICE have been granted special powers to help them deal with hare coursing in Braintree and Uttlesford.

Essex Police put a dispersal in place at 5.10pm yesterday to help officers tackle anti-social behaviour and criminality associated with hare coursing.

The order will remain in place until 5.09pm on Friday.

A force spokesman said: "The order has been made under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, and gives our officers the power to disperse any person(s) whom there are reasonable grounds to suspect have contributed to or is likely to contribute to members of the public in the locality being harassed, alarmed or distressed or the occurrence in the locality of crime or disorder."

Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares with dogs, which chase the hare by sight.