Two hunt groups issued with police warning

Two hunt groups have been issued with warning letters by the police.

Officers said Blencathra Foxhounds and Melbreak Foxhounds had been informed of "numerous reports [to local police] regarding issues relating to the groups, including antisocial behaviour, noise nuisance and the detrimental impact on the community".

The formal warning, if not adhered to, could result in further action such as prosecution, police have warned.

The BBC has been unable to contact the hunt groups for any comment.

In December, the government said it was committed to a trail-hunting ban - a practice which involves laying a trail using a rag soaked in animal scent.

It mimics the scent of a wild animal, so the hounds chase that, instead of a fox, for example. The intention is to replicate the pursuit across the countryside, without the need to kill animals.

Trail hunting was originally introduced as a "cruelty-free" replacement for fox hunting, after hunting with hounds was banned by Labour in 2004.

The Hunting Act banned the use of dogs to hunt wild mammals - including foxes, hares, deer and mink - across England and Wales.

Labour made a manifesto promise to ban trail hunting ahead of entering goverment in July 2024 - a decision recently criticised by the Countryside Alliance, which represents hunters, as an "act of spite".

The Countryside Alliance says trail hunting is a legal activity which brings rural communities together.

In a statement to PA news agency last month, a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the government was "committed to a ban on trail hunting, which is being exploited as a smokescreen to cruelly kill foxes and hares".

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