THOUSANDS of dedicated huntsmen and supporters were out in droves at meets across Worcestershire and Herefordshire on Saturday in defiance of the Government.

In one of the area's biggest meets, more than 500 people turned up to support Ledbury Hunt at Hurst Farm, in Welland.

The group met for its first hunt since the Hunting Act banning hunting with hounds came into force on Friday.

Crowds cheered and clapped as joint masters Paul Smith and Tim Lewin lambasted the Government's actions in fiery speeches before torching a copy of the Act held aloft in a bucket with a pitchfork.

"This legislation is useless. It will not improve the lives of hard-working people and is frankly bad for animal welfare," said Mr Lewin.

Challenge

"The Hunting Act is a bad piece of law passed by bigots and we'll keep our infrastructure going while we challenge this in the courts and the countryside - we owe it to our hounds, our supporters and the countryside."

Mr Smith urged people to join the Countryside Alliance to fight the ban and voice their opposition through the ballot boxes.

"Don't let the buggers grind us down - keep coming out and keep supporting the hunt," he added.

Ledbury hunt spokesman Donald Haden - sporting a "Bollocks to Blair" badge and clutching a collection bucket to raise funds for the Countryside Alliance's next legal challenge against the Act - said hunts-people vowed to continue to fight the "unjust" ban.

He added that the hunt was operating within the law and would explore "alternative" methods over the next couple of weeks before focusing on challenging the ban.

"What I feel about the ban is unprintable - it's an appalling piece of prejudice legislation that has nothing to do with the welfare of the fox," he said.

Sixty-year-old Val Clare, of Malvern Common, Malvern, was one of many supporters out.

"I'm absolutely disgusted - it's not just the hunting, it's the countryside as a whole that's affected," she said.

"You get all these people saying what about the poor fox being chased? But what does it live by? A fox kills for the sake of it."

But, in the face of continued hunt activity Worcester City MP Mike Foster - whose private members' Bill in 1997 initiated the Hunting Act - maintained his stance.

"The whole purpose of the Bill and animal welfare concerns that people like myself had was the use of dogs to chase and kill the fox.

"I never said foxes shouldn't be killed - just that if they are going to be killed, it should be in the most humane way. And killing with a pack of dogs wasn't the most humane way.

"The fact that the hunt used scent to have a day's sport and enjoyment is something I've been advocating for eight years and on Saturday they did it.

"We were told if hunting was banned all the hounds would be shot - they weren't.

"Rather than defiance, it was a show that the arguments of past years were absolutely valid - hunting can continue without dogs killing foxes."