FARMERS, landowners and gamekeepers teamed up with 70 police officers in a bid to beat rural crime.

Last night tractors, quad bikes and Land Rovers were stationed around country lanes and fields as members of the rural community acted as spotters for the police.

They were in direct contact with a 70-strong force of police officers ready to swoop at the sign of any suspicious activity.

One man was arrested and a vehicle was seized in the course of the overnight operation, run by police in South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.