Warwickshire Hunt hound hit and killed by train
Hunt saboteurs release video of hunt as Banbury – Leamington train is halted because of hounds on the line – Banbury Guardian
Police investigate after Warwickshire Hunt hounds stray on to railway track – Coventry Live
Warwickshire Hunt denies hound died after being struck by train – Stratford Herald
Warwickshire Hunt apologises after hounds ran across the railway between Leamington and Banbury – The Leamington Courier
Hounds on New Year’s Day hunt run over railway line near Fenny Compton, claim animal rights activists – The Leamington Courier
During the Warwickshire Hunts New Years Day 2020 hunt meet in Knightcote the hunts hounds ended up out of control and hunted over a train line between Leamington and Banbury. Transport Police have confirmed that a hound was hit and killed by a train. As a result trains were delayed for over half an hour. West Midlands Hunt Sabs were not present with the huntsman or hounds when the incident occurred but were on the other side of the hill at Watergall. Passengers on the train who filmed the hunt from out of the train windows contacted the saboteurs and informed them what was going on. The footage filmed by passengers was sent to the saboteurs and shows members of the hunt trespassing on the tracks.
This is the Fourth week in a row that the Warwickshire Hunt hounds have rampaged out of control and caused chaos. Previously they have run riot through peoples gardens, through a church and graveyard and caused livestock to escape. Earlier in the year they were caught trespassing on MOD land.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs said “It was inevitable that sooner or later the Warwickshire Hunt were going to cause an accident that killed them, their hounds or a commuter. Their arrogance is astonishing that they think they can use busy roads and railway lines as their own personal playgrounds. Sadly because of their sense of entitlement and overriding need to hunt foxes one of their hounds has now been killed by a train. The Warwickshire Hunt need to start taking some responsibility for their actions and stop trying to pass the blame on to saboteurs. On this occasion saboteurs were nowhere near the trainline, the huntsman or the hounds. There is no excuse for happened on New Years Day, clearly they hunted a fox across the tracks. What can they say? Who in their right mind would take a pack of hounds anywhere near a main train line? They can’t even say they ended up there accidentally because the hunt meet took place at a farm in Knightcote only a few fields away from the train line and at the time the incident happened they were hunting a small wood right next to the trainline. Whose bright idea was it to meet and hunt there in the first place? This is a clear example of why packs of hounds should not be allowed out in the countryside, especially by people who quite clearly have no control over them. Trespassing on railway line is a criminal offence so we hope that British Transport Police take action and prosecute the Warwickshire Hunt who clearly have no concern for their horses or hounds or for any inconvenience they cause for commuters
Senior hunt joint-master Barbara Hester was more concerned with trying to harass hunt saboteurs by playing loud anti-social music next to them than having any concern that one of her hounds had just been hit and killed by a train.