Protesters and supporters gather at Boxing Day hunt

Protesters and supporters gathered in Lewes town centre for the event

Crowds gathered in a historic town in East Sussex ahead of an annual Boxing Day hunt, with both its supporters and opponents in attendance.

At 10:00 GMT on Tuesday, the Southdown and Eridge (SDE) hunt gathered on Lewes high street.

Hunt organisers said the tradition had been part of the town since the 1800s, while critics described it as "mad" and "bizarre".

Using dogs to chase or kill foxes was made illegal in England and Wales in 2004 under the Hunting Act. Hunts, however, are permitted to simulate a chase by following a pre-laid scent, which is known as trail hunting.

Labour has recently expressed concern such activity can act as a smokescreen for illegal hunting.

Warren Marshall, a member of the SDE hunt, said the idea of the Hunting Act was to "eliminate cruelty".

"Providing hunts hunt within the act there is no cruelty," he stated.

Sussex Police attended the event

Ricky Politz, an anti-hunt protester who attended the event, said: "I think it's a bizarre, antiquated tradition and I think it's even more bizarre that I'm here in 2023 having to picket it to sort of show support for living, innocent, sentient beings.

"It's mad," he added.

Other demonstrators held signs with slogans such as "fox hunting is a crime not a pastime" and "respect all life".

In a statement shared on Instagram, Quinton Poulton, chairman of the SDE hunt, said the event was a "highlight of the hunting calendar".

He added it was an opportunity for people to "enjoy the spectacle" as well as support local shops and businesses in the area "who benefit from the influx of people attending the meet".

Ahead of more than 200 meets on Boxing Day, Labour called for stricter laws around fox hunting after it claimed there had been fewer than 450 convictions for breaches of legislation in more than a decade.