FOOTAGE of foxes being snared and shot is being distributed to animal rights campaigners to demonstrate the cruelty that will follow the implementation of the hunting ban.

Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff is behind the DVD, which has been compiled by the Middle Way group on hunting, of which he is joint chairman.

Mr Luff said that the film would show supporters of the ban how foxes are likely to be killed when hunting with dogs is outlawed from next Friday, February 18.

It contains disturbing images of foxes being shot, but not killed, and being caught in snares.

Mr Luff and the Middle Way group, who called for a system of licensed fox-hunting rather than an outright ban, maintain that the ban will result in greater animal cruelty.

They have conducted a study to prove this, which has been peer-reviewed and will be published in the May edition of the Journal of Animal Welfare.

The study and the DVD are also being presented to the League Against Cruel Sports and the RSPCA, both of which campaigned for the ban.

"What makes me cross is that we, on our limited resources, are the one group to do this research," said Mr Luff.

"The League Against Cruel Sports have a lot more money than us. Why didn't they do this research, rather than spending a lot of money on expensive poster campaigns?"

The research finds that there is the potential for greater suffering from being snared and wounded by shooting than by hunting.

Brian Fanshawe, secretary of the Council of Hunting Associations, said there would be at least 250 hunts taking place on Saturday, February 19, the day after the ban comes into force.

"They will be intending to undertake legal activities, such as giving hounds exercise and flushing out mammals to be shot," he said.

"It will not be the human intent to hunt them, but we will have to see whether it will be possible to stop the hounds that are used to hunting from doing so."

Mr Luff said he would be joining a local hunt which he knew would be hunting "within the law".

In tomorrow's Evening News: How members of Worcestershire's Countryside Alliance plan to fight the hunting ban.