A-hunting we may go (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

A-hunting we may go

9:04am Monday 13th February 2006 in News By Jenny Clarke

CRIES of "Tally Ho!" could ring through the streets of Walthamstow as residents suggest a fox hunt.

Reports of a predatory fox, claimed to have killed one cat and seriously injured another, angered some members of the Walthamstow Village Residents Association (WVRA).

In this month's newsletter, the group suggests bringing a hunt to the village.

Their story proposes support from the mounted branch of the police, to help with the chase and control hunt saboteurs.

Under current legislation, it is legal to hunt with dogs, provided that the fox is shot before they are allowed to tear into its body.

The WVRA newsletter reads: "Oddly, even though it is now a proscribed sport, there are still a number of hunting afficionados in the village, both on foot and on horseback.

"Some still have all their hunting gear, red coats, top hats."

"Admittedly hunting with hounds is illegal, but there are legal permutations available. Foxes can be shot, under strict conditions, but that would be problematical in an urban environment."

But a spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a national campaigns group, blasted the suggestion.

The spokesman said: "How absolutely ridiculous. If residents feel that they have problems with foxes they should contact their local authority. This is the correct way of dealing with concerns about pest control."

He added: "It is permissable to take two dogs to flush a fox from cover to shoot it. But if more than two dogs are employed and/or the fox is not shot immediately the hunters will be breaking the law and liable for arrest."

"We are against these proposals and feel that it is not a subject to be treated with levity."