7th February 2025
A hunt has apologised after hounds were filmed running through a private garden and orchard co-owned by former Labour Party leader Ed Miliband MP.
Householders in Claydon, near Bicester, reported the incident anonymously to animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports.
They shared footage of the hounds on the private land in Mollington Road where Mr Miliband owns one of three cottages, and also doorbell camera footage of the hunt riding through the village itself.
The hounds belong to the Bicester Hunt with Whaddon Chase, which confirmed they were trail hunting in the area on the day in question, conducting their activities in accordance with the Hunting Act.
A spokesperson for the hunt said: “Some hounds entered the village having strayed off the scent trail that had been laid for them to follow, but our professional members of staff retrieved them within minutes.
“It is never our intention to disrupt anyone’s daily activities or cause distress, and representatives from the hunt attended Claydon’s recent extraordinary parish council meeting to apologise in person, seeking to reassure residents that this was an exceptional occurrence.
“If hounds deviate from their intended trail, we review our procedures, and that process is ongoing. As agreed during the meeting, we will be writing to the parish council chairman shortly.
“Our hounds participate in lawful trail hunting activities four days a week throughout the season and incidents of this nature are incredibly rare.
“We have offered to bring our hounds to the village to reassure the community of their harmlessness and invited residents to visit our kennels to learn more about trail hunting.”
People in the village previously spoke of their shock, anger and disgust that the hunt, which claimed to have been following a pre-laid trail, was trespassing on a number of properties and in other areas, such as a public park.
One resident who reported the incident to the League and who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “To see the hunt running riot like this was very upsetting and they either had no control over their dogs or they were hunting animals, their behaviour being entirely inconsistent with the excuse they use that they are trail hunting.
“Having hunt hounds so close to our house where we have cats was really scary as I know from experience what they can do.”
During the Mollington Road incident, although not caught on film, residents reported a muntjac deer fleeing from the hunt towards a busy road.
Another resident watched a fox in Claydon village also running from the hounds.
Chris Luffingham, acting chief executive at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “This incident should not have happened, 20 years after this so-called sport was supposedly banned, and the outrage from local residents shows hunts are not wanted in rural communities. ”
If the last government and this one had banned ALL hunting then this would not be happening. These scum pretend to trail hunt and we all know what they are really doing there is plenty of evidence why the hell is this government not getting on top of it????????????