Foxhounds terrorize residents and schoolchildren in Oak rampage, anti-hunting group says

FOXHOUNDS “went on a rampage” in a village near Wellington earlier this month, terrorizing locals and forcing primary school children to be taken to safe premises, an anti-hunting group said this week.

The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) said the incident occurred in Oak when 20 to 30 “unattended hounds” were seen running through fields near Oak, Bradford and Ninehead Primary School during lunchtime on Monday 7 October.

An LACS spokesman said that while “trail hunting” remains legal, it appears that fox hunting was taking place, an activity that was prohibited when the Hunting Act came into force in February 2005.

The spokesman said students were on the school playground at the time and teachers had to evacuate them so they could take shelter indoors.

They said: “Some hounds have been hit by cars and vans on the main road through the village, and dog walkers have felt terrified as dogs run amok in local fields.

“Hunting horns could be heard in the distance before the terriers, the men hired by the hunters to dig out the escaped foxes, arrived on a quad bike, wearing Taunton Vale Harriers branded clothing, and attempted to catch the hounds.”

Local resident Melissa Nutton told LACS how she was walking her French bulldogs in a field near the school when she was surrounded by hunting dogs.

Ms Nutton said: “I was terrified and afraid for my dogs, especially my baby Remy, and I had never felt so threatened before.

“I’m sure they’re still hunting.”

Another resident, Mary Parker, said she saw the dogs run out onto the busy main road through Oak.

Ms Parker said: “It was very worrying and upsetting.

“I’m very sorry for the poor dogs, but their behavior could have caused a serious accident.”

Former veterinary nurse Rachel Pearson said after the incident she saw some of the hounds limping and being loaded into a car and she filmed a passenger hitting one of the dogs.

Ms Pearson said: “As someone who works with animals, I found the treatment of dogs absolutely disgusting.

“It is shocking that fox hunting is still going on today and it must have been very upsetting for the schoolchildren.

“I couldn’t sleep that night.”

LACS senior campaign manager John Petrie said: “It is clear that a fox hunt was underway which has caused damage to this peaceful village, frightening and intimidating local residents and school children.

“It is also clear that this was not trail hunting – a discredited excuse commonly used by hunters as a smokescreen to cover up old-fashioned illegal fox hunting, as who would put a trail through a village and next to a school anyway.

“It’s time for change and tougher fox hunting laws by banning so-called trail hunting, closing loopholes in the law and introducing custodial sentences for those who break the law.”

Mr Petrie said the timing of the incident, which was reported to police, was consistent with the practice of cub hunting, in which hunting dogs are trained to kill young foxes in preparation for the fox hunting season starting in November.

Devon and Cornwall Police’s most senior officer, Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, in charge of fox hunting crime, described the trail hunt as a “smokescreen for illegal fox hunting” which he said had been “fruitful” .

Mr Longman said: “Police and courts need new powers to tackle the scourge of fox hunting so this cruel, dirty blood sport is consigned to the history books once and for all.”

The incident in Oak was reported to animal crime watchdog LACS, which allows the public to report cases of animal cruelty.

The service can be contacted by telephone on 0300 444 1234 or by email. (email protected) or via WhatsApp on 0755 278 8247.

Wellington Weekly has reached out to the Taunton Vale Harriers team for any comment on the LACS allegations.