A FARMER is outraged after discovering a gang of men have been terrorising his livestock with “guns and quadbikes”.

The 30-year-old, who farms the land with his dad off Dunton Road, in Basildon, has spoken out amid reports of hare coursing on his land.

The farm owner told the Echo that the group, of six men, have been causing damage and dazzling drivers on the A127.

He said: “They’ve been back most evenings since Thursday.

“Police are not doing enough.

They almost caught them but they just let them go. The car came back to the farm to tell us that they believed they were being shot at.

“It’s so frustrating. We’ve had to chase them off each time.

“Because they’ve got quadbikes, they can drive through smaller gaps that I haven’t been able to block off. They keep finding new gaps to drive through.

“They’ve been seen driving onto the A127 and heading towards Southend. They’re a danger to drivers.”

The farmer also described the damage the gang have caused, adding: “Those men are just animals. We’ve got eight horses and there’s other livestock nearby. They’re terrified. They are driving right up to them and dazzling them with their spotlights. They did the same to us when we chased them off. It’s costing me time and money. They’re causing a lot of damage.

“It’s been going on for too long now. It’s getting really bad and it’s getting out of control.

“We know that they’ve done similar damage to fields across Basildon, Dunton, and Billericay.”

A spokesman for Essex Police urged anyone with information to call 101 and reference 42/9502/20. He said: “We were called to reports of damage caused to a field in Dunton Road, Basildon between 16 and 17 January. It was reported men were seen riding quadbikes and hare coursing was taking place.”