*** 5 blocked badger setts * One dug out sett * Loose horses and road chaos ***

We were joined today by Mendip Hunt Sabs. The first hour before the meet was spent sett checking. Some setts looked active, healthy and not tampered with, but 2 others were filled in with soil and the tell-tale fresh spade marks.

As they drew bank towards Upton we found that a sett had been dug out but it looked like it had been done a few weeks ago. Badger baiters or hunt, we don’t know.

We ended up in a nearby landlocked area with the owner, a happy chap called Mark, not too happy with us being there. Well, with 3 freshly blocked setts on his land, an illegal fox hunt in progress, 2 loose horses having the time of their lives galloping round after getting rid of their riders and sabs filming it all he simply had to call the police.

But what was the number? What could it be?

Telling the police that if we were male that we would get a beating probably was not the most clever thing to say. And the Badger Act 1992 applies in cull zones so it’s up to 6 months in prison for those who dig out setts or block them… Mark didn’t know this so we were glad to be of service. Bless! They hunted a fox away and a Mendip sab’ stopped hounds on another fox.

Then it was onto the B4211 with huntsman Mark Melladay actually trying to pick up the fox in the dusk, holding up cars as quads raced past on blind bends…