Stag hunt to continue despite ban

THE Quantock Staghounds, threatened by a council ban, decided last night to carry on hunting.

A 12-man emergency committee voted unanimously to continue despite the ban on hunting on a crucial strip of land on the Quantock ridge in Somerset.

The future of the hunt - one of only three remaining stag hunts in the country - hung in the balance after Somerset County Council's decision on Wednesday to ban hunting on the council-owned Over Stowey Customs Common.

The 140-acre narrow strip runs for about a mile along the top of the Quantocks. Hunt supporters claimed it would be virtually impossible to continue as the horses and hounds cross and re- cross the land.

But the committee maintained that they would still hunt the Quantocks - excluding the banned land. They pointed out that the hunt season did not start until late this month or early next month. By that time the committee would have considered legal advice on the council vote.