Two police officers who went to a petrol station to get coffee to avoid confronting a group of men hunting hares have been sacked for gross misconduct.

Constables Robert Ashcroft and Ataul Ahmad, from Slough, Berkshire, were dismissed by Thames Valley Police following a misconduct hearing which found they breached standards of professional behaviour.

A spokesman for the force said the case was brought following three separate incidents between January and March this year.

Constables Constables Robert Ashcroft and Ataul Ahmad, from Slough, Berkshire, were sacked by Thames Valley Police for gross misconduct. The pair had chosen to visit a petrol station to get coffee to avoid a group pf men hunting hares

On one occasion they had deliberately gone to a different location when they were called to a man armed with a knife in Langley.

Despite the incident needing an immediate police response both PC Ahmad and PC Ashcroft who were on duty in a marked police car failed to show up to the potentially deadly situation in January.

The following day the pair were called to attend reports of a group of men hare coursing in the area around Langley.

Hare coursing is a former competitive sport using greyhounds and other dogs to hunt hares using their sight rather than their smell and has been illegal in the UK since 2005.

Once again they were both in a marked police car but instead of attending the scene and confronting the men, they decided to stop at a petrol station in order to get coffee.

On the third occasion, which took place in March, the bungling pair should have attended a report of an assault of a man but both failed to show up.

Detective Chief Superintendent Chris Ward, head of professional standards, said: 'For the public to have confidence in the police, we expect the highest of standards from all of our officers and their commitment to serving the public.

'Thames Valley Police is committed to investigating any behaviour which does not adhere to the values and standards set within the force.

'PC Ashcroft and PC Ahmad failed to adhere to these standards of behaviour and there is no place in our force for those who behave in the manner they did.