Villages in Combermere, near Northwich, Cheshire were horrified when the Cheshire Forest Fox-hunt invaded their privacy and disembowelled an exhausted fox in front of them.

Mrs Alley who was unfortunate to witness the killing from her garden said, 'I saw the dead fox with its eyes bulging out. It was shocking. I was so upset I couldn't eat my lunch … it's extremely distressing.'

Once again local League Against Cruel Sports Hunt Monitors were on the scene to witnessed the police - somewhat ironically - arrest hunt saboteurs who were trying to save the fox. They were later released without charge.

The British Field Sports Society naively claimed that the villagers were supportive of the hunt. Local League Representative Janet Smart said, 'Once again members of the public have had to suffer the trauma and upset of witnessing the end result of this sordid bloodsport.'

The BFSS often try to portray the bloodsports debate as one of country folk against townies. Surveys have found, however, that just as many people living in the country are opposed to foxhunting as those living in the towns, if anything, slightly more so.

Published in Wildlife Guardian, Issue 30, Winter 1994/95