WORCESTER Rugby Football Club is under fire for letting hunt supporters use their facilities for a conference on how they could combat the ban.

And hunt saboteurs have pledged to help the police to bring convictions against any rebels when the ban comes into force.

The Warriors' club at Sixways has been booked by the Countryside Alliance on Thursday, February 10, as a meeting point for pro-hunters in the West Midlands.

The meeting will tell hunt supporters about the Alliance's appeal against the Hunting Act and what they can do to try and stop it from coming into force on Friday, February 18.

Dan Jones from the peaceful group, Worcester Hunt Saboteurs, said it was "absolutely disgraceful" that the rugby club was allowing hunt supporters to use the club, when the sport would soon become illegal.

"We won't demonstrate at the meeting, but we are looking at the possibility of demonstrating against the rugby club if they let this meeting go ahead," he said.

"We've got 40 or 50 people who are willing to demonstrate in the next week or so.

"I'm overwhelmed the law is coming - it's long overdue."

Mr Jones said as police had limited resources and time to control their hunt demonstrations, so they would help to act against foxhunters as well.

"When the ban comes into force we will act with the police to try and secure convictions of hunters," he added.

But Sixway's chairman, Cecil Duckworth, said he had no problem with the CA using the conference facilities, and he added it was not the club's business to enquire into the politics of various groups.

"It seems he is trying to intimidate us, which is outrageous," he said.

"We don't ask organisations what they are going to do and we don't discriminate on political lines, unless they were extremist parties, which the CA are not," he said.

He added that the CA had a much wider brief than just fox-hunting.

Other high-profile venues for regional CA meetings across the country include the Sage Music Centre in Gateshead. The CA meeting will coincide with the Labour Party's Spring Conference on Friday, February 11.

Preview of tonight's Worcester Warriors vs Leeds Tykes - see back page.