Three men have been arrested on suspicion of poaching after three deer were found dead in a van stopped by a police patrol in Staffordshire.
Staffordshire Police said an air rifle, a silencer and hunting knives had also been seized from the vehicle in Penkridge, near Cannock, at 5.30am.
Two men aged 18 and a 29-year-old man, all from the Newport area of Shropshire, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in poaching.
A police spokesman said officers on routine patrol had spotted a white Peugeot van being driven in a suspicious manner on the A449 through Penkridge town centre.
The van was then stopped at Preston Vale, Penkridge, and three dead deer were found in the back, the spokesman added.
Anyone with information is asked to call Staffordshire Police on 0300 123 4455.
