SIR – Despite Mr Burgess’s failed effort (January 9) to justify the practice whereby groups of county-set snobs dress up to get their bizarre pleasure by watching hideous dogs tear animals to pieces, he has made the case for the hunting ban very well.

Remember all the talk that such a ban would destroy the rural economy? Yet Mr Burgess tells us that things there are thriving, so why remove the ban?

We all know that these ‘pillars of society’ will break the law whenever they think they can get away with it, so congratulations to the anti-hunting lobby for monitoring these events to ensure the law of the land is being upheld.

Clearly Mr Burgess will not accept the democratic verdict of Parliament and the views of the 75 per cent of people who find this practice barbaric.

The Tories criticised the Labour government for taking the time to introduce the ban (because it was such an unimportant matter) yet say it will be one of the first things they will reverse if they win power (obviously not so unimportant).

Coun Alan Amos,

Warndon Ward,

Worcester.