NEWS that jobs in rural Worcestershire are to be lost was confirmed as top judges yesterday rejected a Countryside Alliance appeal to overturn the fox-hunting ban.

Three judges, including Lord Chief Justice Woolf dismissed the CA chairman, John Jackson's argument that use of the 1949 Parliament Act was unlawful.

The CA has one last-gasp chance of delaying the ban, due to start on Friday, by applying for an injunction in the House of Lords.

Yesterday's decision came as no surprise to hunt members. They joined hunts across the country for a final legal meet this morning.

"We had to make plans for the worst scenario anyway, so they are still in place," said the Master of Albrighton Woodland Hunt, Peter Swann.

"We have had to scale down operations for next season. There will be two redundancies and we will also lose three of the horses."

"Cuts are needed to ensure the hunt can carry on.

"We are primarily looking at keeping it going for the next 12 months, so that if any reviews are successful, we can start up again."

He said a final decision on whether to keep the hunt going after next year would be made next season. He rejected the idea that hunting would die out.

"It could be that cases are lodged with the European Court of Human Rights, or we wait for a change in government. If there is light at the end of the tunnel, we will keep the hunt going," explained Mr Swann.

In defiance of the latest decision, the Albrighton Hunt, based near Kidderminster, met in Staffordshire yesterday, and will meet again on Saturday - a day after the Hunting Act has come into force - at the Fox Inn, in Stourton, near Stourbridge.

Anti-hunt protesters welcomed yesterday's judgement as "absolutely fantastic".

Dan Jones, from the Worcester Hunt Saboteurs, said it was the right decision.

"We guessed it was going to happen anyway, and we know they are going to the House of Lords who are on their side.

"But if they come to a different decision, that will be the unjust law," he added.