WELL I never, the Countryside Alliance, the voice of blood sports, hardly animal lovers, thinks the Hunting Act is a waste of time. Why is it a waste of time to want to protect wild animals such as foxes, deer, hares and mink from the terror and pain of being hunted to exhaustion with a pack of dogs, and then torn to pieces?

I will tell you why, it is because their members want complete freedom to run riot across open countryside, roads and railways, farms and private gardens without fear of prosecution. These hunting people, unlike the rest of the population, do not seem to understand an animal's pain and suffering.

These hunters understand only their own warped desire to kill a fox or hare by using a pack of dogs specially trained to kill, while they sit astride their horses and watch. Most people find this activity sickening and cruel in the extreme. This is why we have a ban on hunting, and why this ban is here to stay, and what is more, this hunting ban will eventually be strengthened.

Therefore, hunters, get used to looking over your shoulders for the monitors' cameras, for you will not escape the law forever. No one is above the law.

Helen Weeks

West Coker, Somerset