Rebecca Cummings with her cats Dizzy (left) and Dempsey.

NORTH Ledbury Hunt says it was following an artificially laid trail when two of its hounds ran into the garden of a home in Ashperton.

Rebecca Cummings, of Haywood Lane, claims she was laughed at by hunt members as she tried to save her two cats from the hounds in her garden.

Neither Mrs Cummings, who is pregnant, nor her cats suffered any injury.

"I called the police and I have logged a complaint, as the hunters had absolutely no regard or respect for myself and my property," she said.

"I have never seen a hunt so close to a residential area and I was concerned for my cats. Two great big hunting dogs came running on to my property, howling and barking. This scared me immensely, as these dogs are trained to kill."

Mrs Cummings said she asked hunt members several times to get their dogs off her property.

She added: "When I tried to scare the dogs off, they started to laugh at me. These people seem to think they own the countryside. I was very distressed as I didn't know where my cats were and I am pregnant as well, and worried that these dogs would either knock me over or worse. They continued to laugh at me and I ran into my house."

A horsewoman who had entered the property on horseback was asked to leave by Mrs Cummings's husband.

Hunting with dogs is illegal and Valerie Allfrey, senior joint master of the hunt, said the pack had been following an artificial trail that would not have been laid close to houses.

She said: "If you lay a trail and the wind blows, how do you stop a trail moving?"

Mrs Allfrey, who was not there on the day, went round to Mrs Cummings' house after the incident and posted an apology through the letterbox.

In an official statement from the hunt, she said: "During our day's hunting within the law on Saturday, unfortunately a couple of young hounds became detached from the main pack and entered Mrs Cummings's garden.

"We are extremely sorry about this, but no damage was done and I must stress that at no time were either Mrs Cummings or her cats in any danger. All the hounds wanted to do was get out and get away."

Police said that as no criminal offence had been committed there would be no further action.

10:59am Friday 2nd February 2007

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