Formerly known as Captain Spicer’s, the Avon Vale Hunt was formed in 1912, hunting a country in mid-Wiltshire that once formed part of the Beaufort’s country. However, the future of the hunt is now in serious doubt, following a video obtained by ITV News of members of hunt staff digging out a fox from an earth and throwing it in front of waiting hounds. As the dug-out fox bolts, a second fox follows it. It’s not known whether either fox was killed.

Opponents of hunting have greeted the so-called grisly video with a mixture of horror, claiming that the video provides serious proof that trail-hunting is nothing more than a smokescreen for real hunting, which was outlawed by Tony Blair’s Government in 2005.

Animal rights activist Brian May, interviewed for ITV following the screening of the video, said: “This footage speaks for itself. It’s so shocking, so disgusting that it can’t leave any decent people in any doubt about what trail-hunting really means.” Chris Packham added: “This is a case now for the police and for the RSPCA. This insidious, vile habit has to be stamped out once and for all.” The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) responded by immediately suspending the hunt as it was found to have made serious breaches of the BHSA’s core principles and rules. Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, commented: “It is disgraceful behaviour but it doesn’t reflect the vast majority of hunting that is going on in the UK at the moment, which is legal and legitimate.”

The poor-quality video, which appears to have been taken on a mobile phone, isn’t dated, but seems likely to have been shot last autumn. Perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t taken by hunt saboteurs. Wiltshire Police commented: “We have received a report of alleged wildlife offences and will be reviewing the evidence that has been presented.” Any prosecutions are likely to be difficult, as the figures in the grainy video are difficult to identify.