OPPONENTS and supporters of hunting in the Cotswolds say they will not give up their respective campaigns, despite overwhelming parliamentary support for a hunting ban.

MPs voted on the Government's Hunting Bill last week with 387 opting for an outright ban and 174 against. A third option put forward by Worcestershire MP Peter Luff for increased regulation of hunting attracted 182 votes.

The outcome thrilled anti-hunt campaigners and Linda Roffe, from the Cotswold Support Group for the Abolition of Hunting, said: "The group is absolutely delighted with the vote. We would be more delighted if we didn't think it would come across a sticky wicket in the House of Lords, but we are quite convinced this is the beginning of the end."

But disappointed hunt supporters say they have still not given up their fight to save the sport from extinction.

Antony Whelton, chairman of the Chipping Norton-based Heythrop Hunt, said: "The vote was somewhat depressing, but not unexpected. The Heythrop is flourishing and lots of people want to hunt with us."

He added: "I went to the debate and some of the opposition to hunting didn't really have much of an open mind, but the debate was certainly picking up on the civil liberty issue."

Now the Bill moves to the House of Lords, although many people expect it to fall by the wayside if, as predicted, a general election is called for May.

Mr Whelton said: "We are all very hopeful and we shall keep going. I think we will be hunting for many years to come."

Mrs Roffe said she hoped that if a ban did fall foul of an election campaign or was defeated it would be reintroduced after the election. "We will carry on campaigning until it has gone," she said. In last week's vote, both Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson and Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown voted against a ban.