Kelso fox hunt footage reported to police

The League Against Cruel Sports has reported a fox hunt in the Borders to Police Scotland.

BBC Scotland has seen footage, filmed by the anti-hunting group, which shows a dog chasing a fox near Kelso.

The campaigners said it would be up to the courts to decide whether the hunt was illegal.

The Buccleuch Hunt said it operated within the law at all times and described the allegations as "spurious" and "politically-motivated".

The footage, filmed on 22 December, shows a dog chasing a fox over the wall. About 25 seconds later, what appears to be a fox can be seen in the distance - with a dog in pursuit.

The campaigners said a huntsman was above and behind them.

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Traditional fox hunting was banned in Scotland in 2002, but hunts - in some forms - are still allowed.

The law says dogs can be used to flush foxes from cover - in other words, drive them into the open - but once that happens the fox should then be shot.

Hunts say they provide an essential pest control service to farmers and landowners.

Robbie Marsland, from the League Against Cruel Sports, told BBC Scotland: "They say they're shooting foxes…we never see any guns being effectively used but what we do see is pictures like this of foxes being chased by hounds.

"We reported it to the police because it looks illegal to us but whether there's a successful prosecution will depend on the courts."

Hunting with hounds was banned in Scotland in 2002, but dogs can still be used to flush out foxes

A statement from the Buccleuch Hunt said: "The Buccleuch Hunt operates within the law at all times to comply with the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act. The hunt is absolutely clear that it was operating wholly within the law and in accordance with the Scottish Mounted Foxhound Packs Fox Control Protocol on the 22nd December.

"There is no evidence to support any claims to the contrary and the hunt urges animal rights activists to stop wasting police time by making spurious, politically-motivated allegations."

A public consultation on using dogs to control foxes ended in December.

'Considerable public concern'

A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "Despite the ban on hunting introduced in 2002, we are aware there remains considerable public concern about fox hunting in Scotland and doubts about the operability of the legislation as it currently stands.

"It is our intention to put an end to this practice for good, and we have committed to bring forward legislation to do so before the end of the current parliamentary year. Our focus will be to enhance animal welfare and to significantly reduce the risk of wild mammals being killed by packs of hounds.

"The public consultation seeking views on our proposals closed in December, and we will publish the results later this year."

Mr Marsland said: "The government's decision to bring in existing legislation to strengthen the current legislation is a very good decision. This is going on and enough is enough."

Police Scotland told the BBC it was aware of a complaint related to fox hunting near Kelso.

A spokesperson said officers were waiting for further details and inquiries would be carried out to establish the full circumstances.