Wiltshire Police receive a number of calls after Lacock hunt violence

Police say they have had a "number of calls" about a Boxing Day hunt that saw violent clashes with protestors.

Punches were thrown during the incident, which happened outside The Red Lion pub in Lacock, Wiltshire, as the Avon Vale Hunt passed through at about 11:00 GMT on Monday.

Hunt organisers said they do not condone violence.

Wiltshire Police had police officers at the scene. It said no arrests have been made and enquires are ongoing.

There were some 50 protesters and about twice that number of hunt supporters when the scuffles broke out.

One of the organisers of the anti-hunt demonstration, Anne Fox, from Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs, said they had not protested at the Avon Vale Hunt previously but wanted to "drive home the point that blood sports are not welcome in our communities".

"The vast majority of the population are opposed to blood sports," she added.

"Of course for a lot of these people in the hunt community it is their life, their social life, their life revolves around it, but that is not a justification for it."

Video footage of the clashes has been widely shared on social media in which calls for police help can be heard as well as protesters repeatedly chanting "shame on you" at hunt supporters.

Wiltshire Police said the crowds were dispersed by 12:30 GMT and its control room received only one call at the time reporting a woman had been assaulted.

But Ms Fox criticised the police response.

"Members of the public were facing indiscriminate violence and we had two police officers who failed to intervene, we really did struggle with the policing," she said.

A spokeswoman for Wiltshire police said the force was aware of the planned hunt however they "had no intelligence to suggest violence would take place".

She added: "Despite this, officers carried out patrols in the area during the course of the morning and were on scene in the High Street when tensions began rising between those involved in the hunt and protestors.

"Since the incident, we have been made aware of video footage of the violence on social media, and officers are currently conducting extensive enquiries to identify those involved.

"At this stage no arrests have been made but our enquiries are continuing."

A spokesman for the Avon Vale Hunt added: "We do not know the circumstances but we do not condone violence even in the case of extreme provocation by anti-hunting protestors whose sole purpose is to antagonise those supporting a lawful activity.

"We do not know if any hunt supporters were involved but would like to thank all those who peacefully attended in support of our hounds."

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