PEOPLE who hunt are not the "lovely" people W Leahy would have us believe Tolerance plea in hunt debate, Gazette Postbag, January 27.

Many of the established hunts led by red-coats are nothing less than rural gangs who go out hunting wild mammals with dogs, even though that is now illegal. Hidden away in the countryside, they still carry on their despicable, cruel activity complete with terrierman on his quad bike laden with spades and metal poles; tools that will be needed to dig some terrified fox from its refuge underground, having been chased there by the hunt criminals. Monitors trying to film this illegal activity are threatened, abused, assaulted.

Although there is a ban on hunting wild mammals with dogs, most of these gang members want the Hunting Act repealed (David Cameron has promised a free vote on this issue) so what they are doing now will once again be legal. What is "lovely" about that?

YVONNE NICOLA Address supplied