Three Ledbury Hunt supporters were among five men who invaded the floor of the House of Commons during the Hunting Bill debate on Wednesday.

The three, all arrested, were professional huntsman John Holliday, the hunt's former whipper-in Andrew Elliot and supporter David Redvers.

The hunt's present whipper-in, David Every, was struck on the head by a police truncheon during the protests in Parliament Square.

Ledbury Hunt spokesman and former master Donald Haden praised the men who invaded the floor of the Commons.

One MP dubbed it the worst invasion since Charles I brought troops to arrest MPs at the start of the English Civil War, but Mr Haden said: "They have done a terrific job and I support them wholeheartedly. The hunt's view is that this was a major marker, which shows the Government we mean business.

"The MPs voted to ban hunting on but we don't see this as our Dunkirk. We see it as our Normandy landings. We're on a war footing and we're going to win. John Holliday has shown the way forward."

Mr Haden was on the phone throughout Wednesday night trying to obtain news of Mr Holliday and his companions. Speaking yesterday (Thursday), he said he believed they had been taken to and held at New Scotland Yard.

The other men involved in the breach were Otis Ferry, the son of rock superstar Brian Ferry, and Luke Tomlinson, said to be a friend of Prince William.

David Holliday, who hails from Cumbria, has been the professional huntsman for the Ledbury Hunt for nine years and lives at its Egg Tump kennels. He has been hunting since his early teens, introduced via a pony club.

Mr Elliot is a Hereford-based horse auctioneer who lives near the kennels and Mr Redvers is an old Etonian who owns a stud farm at Maisemore, near Gloucester.

A Parliamentary investigation is now under way to find out how security could have been compromised so badly.

Ledbury MP Bill Wiggin, who addressed the 10,000 strong crowd in Parliament Square and was the teller for both votes, said the indications from the Speaker were that an MP's staff may have been involved.

He said: "I have no staff, so I'm not in the frame for this! I think the incident was a mistake, which has taken all the headlines and does not help the cause.

"Maybe it's the taste of things to come but it's wrong. I'm hardly surprised that passions are running high in my constituency but I urge people to keep to the law. There are democratic ways to get this law overturned."

Mr Wiggin did condemn "police brutality" outside Parliament. He said: "The frightening thing was the police were getting ready to attack the crowd with riot gear and horses. It was horrible. This was class warfare."