MANY of Worcestershire's hunting supporters were taking to the streets of London on horseback today to protest against proposals to ban the sport.

The Union of Country Sports Workers gathered at Hyde Park Corner to ride through Piccadilly, the Haymarket, Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross and Whitehall before finishing at Parliament Square.

They were recreating the event of 1949, when farmers rode through London in protest against a Private Members Bill to ban hunting.

The farmers became known as the Piccadilly Hunt, and a club of the same name still exists today.

The ride also marked the fifth anniversary of the Hyde Park Countryside Rally, and aimed to highlight the plight they say would face countryside workers and their families if the Government bans hunting.

The group were due to hand a letter to a number of pro-hunting MPs to give to Tony Blair on its behalf.

The letter said that the group members were prepared to fight to oppose injustice against a minority.

Michael Allfrey, the vice-chairman of the Piccadilly Hunt Club, said campaigners were fighting against opponents who did not know the facts and did not want to know them.

"Town MPs don't know the facts about hunting and don't want to even find out," said Mr Allfrey, from Storridge, near Malvern.

"They are that ignorant. They've already made up their minds. I don't think people appreciate how much hunting is a total way of life for country people.

"Our social activities are 90 per cent based around hunting. What are we supposed to do if it goes?"

He stressed that hunting was the most humane way to kill foxes and said many of the animals would die more painful, slow deaths if they were killed in other ways.

"With hunting, they are either killed or they get away scot-free," said Mr Allfrey. "No shooter has a 100 per cent success rate - many foxes would be injured and would crawl away to die.