Posts Tagged ‘Asbo’
Post card from a weird countryside
The death of a Warwickshire hunt follower on Monday, apparently hit by a microlight aircraft on the last hunting day, is tragic. The hunt claim the aircraft had been buzzing the hunt, upsetting the horses.
The hunt was in full cry that day in the area where I have a small farm on the Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire borders. On my way back from the Post Office (yes, there still is one) I was blocked in by hordes of followers parking their 4×4s on the narrow village road and milling around with very little regard for people living locally.
That was one of the Warwickshire’s better performances. A couple of weeks ago they again blocked the lane, churned up the verges with their vehicles and then unleashed the hounds into one of my fields full of pregnant ewes – I have several times asked the hunt to stay off my land.
Fresh from hassling the sheep, the hounds then careered past my house, chasing the cats and frightening the kids, totally out of control, before heading off to the woods with no sign of any huntsmen to control them. The same could be said for some of the followers, several of whom I had to ask to leave my fields.
I tried calling the hunt mobile number, but got an answerphone. Eventually someone called back but said they weren’t with the hunt, so couldn’t help. I called the police, who didn’t show either.
Someone styling himself the future grandmaster, or something, did come later that day to apologise, as did the hunt master the following day. His line was first that the hounds were chasing a fox. Umm, then on second thoughts he decided a better line was just that they can’t always control their hounds. Whatever, but if they can’t control a pack of slavering dogs, they should not have them out.
So, we have a bunch of yahoos blocking the roads, trespassing, their dogs out of control chasing foxes (illegally), sheep, pets and frightening kids. If this lot weren’t sitting on horses and carried on like that on a sink estate, an ASBO might be in order I suspect. Still, with the demise of banking, at least the number of weekend hunters is set to fall a bit.
Phillip Oppenheim
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