5th November 2016

One Landowners Ongoing Struggle To Keep Hounds Off His Land

Foxhounds running out of control across roads and gardens in Childe Okeford, near Sturminster Newton, Dorset, 5 Nov 2016.

Hounds Off exists because words from hunters can rarely be trusted. And so it is that, for decades sometimes, people are negatively affected by hunt trespass. The thread reproduced here tells the tale of one landowner who has sought to protect his property, livestock and pets since well before we struck up a friendship in 2010.

—-Original message—-
From : *****
Date : 04/11/2016 - 08:23 (GMTST)
To : *****@*****.PNN.Police.uk
Subject : Re: RE: RE: ***** Hunt NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

*****,

Thank you for what you have tried to do on our behalf and that of our livestock.

I am sure that when you are out of uniform, at home with your family, your view on this matter, where one section of the community can, in the pursuit of their own questionable, often illegal, enjoyment, trample over the lives, livelihood and livestock of the elderly, in-firmed, vulnerable and exposed, seemingly without laws to stop them, may be different.

The Police and Crime Commissioner was very interested in our plight last year and I shall be contacting him.

All the best,

*****

—-Original message—-
From : *****@*****.PNN.Police.uk
Date : 03/11/2016 - 17:30 (GMTST)
To : *****
Cc : *****@*****.PNN.Police.uk
Subject : RE: RE: ***** Hunt NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

*****
I have spoken today with the master of the ***** hunt and again re-iterated your concerns. The master stated that they would endeavour to do as they did towards the end of last season and try and keep away from the boundary to your property and place personnel to contain the hounds. Unfortunately as the hunt has permission to use the land adjoining yours there is very little that can be done to stop them.
I am not on duty on Saturday (05/11/2016) when the hunt should next be in your area but I have asked PC***** to visit you and monitor the hunts activities. Should you see anything that you believe is illegal or in relation to illegal activity please call it in and PC***** will hopefully be able to attend and investigate.
I am sorry that there is not anything more I can do but we will continue to monitor the situation and deal with any issues that arise as best we can.
Regards
PC*****
***** Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team Officer

From: *****
Sent: 29 October 2016 11:09
To: *****@*****.PNN.Police.uk
Subject: Re: RE: ***** Hunt NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

Thank you, *****, for your reply to my email of 12 October.

I see that you had the meeting with the ***** Hunt master and that he said that the ***** Hunt will endeavour to do as “they did towards the end of last season.”

The hunting starts today and next Saturday will be the anniversary of the horrendous trespass, harassment and distress to livestock inflicted on us. Comprehensive details of this together with maps were forwarded to yourselves at ***** Police and to the Police and Crime Commissioner. Prior to last years events, the master of the ***** had given an undertaking to stay a fields distance away from us. In the event he led a triumphal parade along our boundary and later led the field to hunt ***** Copse right up to our boundary. It was only after 7th November that he maintained a fields distance away and we suffered no harassment.

Your email 13/10/2016 says that your “understanding is that the ***** Hunt will endeavour to do as they did towards the end of last season” - a fields distance away from us. Despite this assurance on 8th October just gone, the master of the ***** led the hunt into the field next to us, a distance of 50 m away from our livestock. (There is no doubt in my mind that a fox is released in ***** copse which is then chased. There is a high probability that this animal will chose to enter our land, through our flock with hounds following.) On that occasion it was ***** and I recording events that prevented the terrier man entering the copse to release the fox and the field trooped off back to ***** Farm.

Last year, *****, I made the point that ***** Farm where we live seems not to be a part of *****, where the laws on harassment and animal welfare don’t apply, where the ***** Hunt in pursuit of its own pleasure ride rough-shod over the elderly, weak, and vunerable having done so over a period of in excess of two decades and there’s none to prevent them. I said to you that I believed that the powers of ***** Police did not extend to us and, on that occasion, you corrected me. But yet again they’ve given an assurance to you which has proved to be utterly without foundation. They have no intention of abiding by a fields distance away.

Quite honestly, we are desperate for some peace in our lives without being terrorised by the ***** on a yearly basis.

Sorry to sound so gloomy, *****. Nothing personal; towards us you’ve always been a good and even-handed policeman. But it does seem that the ***** Hunt can can do just as it pleases and there is none to say nay.

—-Original message—-
From : *****@*****.PNN.Police.uk
Date : 13/10/2016 - 18:28 (GMTST)
To : *****
Subject : RE: ***** Hunt NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED

*****
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you I have been away on other wildlife related issues. We did have the meeting with the hunt masters and I have spoken with the Master of the ***** hunt in relation to you and your land. My understanding is that the ***** Hunt will endeavour to stay away from your land, as they did towards the end of last season. I will be speaking to the Master again shortly with regards to other matters and will re-iterate your position.
Again sorry for the delay in getting back to you
Regards
PC*****

From: *****
Sent: 12 October 2016 13:12
To: *****@*****.PNN.Police.uk
Subject: ***** Hunt

Dear *****,

On the last time we met we said that we’d be sending our customary letter to The ***** Hunt requesting them not to trespass on our land. We said we would send you a copy and that we would send one to Insp *****. You said that you would be meeting the hunt masters and inform us of the outcome as it affects us.
Last year the meeting was at the end of August

It has become urgent to know what the ***** intend. Please could you let us know.

Many thanks,

*****

6 Comments | Leave a comment