HUNTS in Herefordshire have been accused of letting hounds run wild, while a hunt follower was alleged to have attempted to ram people with her car, it has been revealed.

The complaints were revealed by a freedom of information request made to West Mercia Police. 

The request asked for information on all potential Hunting Act infringements, antisocial behaviour incidents involving hunts, potential wildlife crime offences related to hunt activity, and traffic incidents involving hunts. 

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The response revealed that there had been three complaints logged to police in Herefordshire between May 1, 2022 and April 30, 2023.

Crimes reported

The allegations included a report there were out-of-control hounds in a village in the Leominster area on Boxing Day 2022.

The report said that dogs and people believed to belong to a local hunt had arrived in the village.

The hounds were not under the control of the huntsmen, the caller claimed, 'invading' gardens and damaging plants and fencing. 

The complaint was listed as "other criminal damage", with the outcome listed as a "community resolution". 

The second county complaint was made in January 2023, when a Hereford caller reported that he had seen a group of men with dogs and, suspecting they may be hunting, approached them to ask if they were hunting. 

One of the men swore at the caller and "puffed his chest out towards [him], causing [him] to stumble backwards but not fall over, the information said.

The incident was classified by police as "common assault and battery", while the outcome was listed as "Evidential difficulties. Victim based. Suspect not identified: crime confirmed".

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The third report, made in the Bromyard area in January 2023, claimed that the caller had been following a hunt and had been "nearly rammed" three times by a woman in her car.

"She is beside us now and won't let us past," the caller told police.

The incident was classed as antisocial behaviour, which West Mercia Police said "is not a crime category".

"West Mercia Police have therefore searched our call recording system using the initial call category of ASB and using a keyword search," the response to the request said.

The response said keyword searches had also been used to find the other reports listed in the response.