Commons favour fox hunting ban

The lower house of the British parliament, the House of Commons, has voted to ban the centuries-old tradition of fox hunting with dogs in England and Wales.

In a free vote, MPs voted in favour of an outright ban, rejecting two other options set out in the draft legislation before them.

Animal welfare groups have long condemned as cruel the spectacle of red-coated horsemen riding across fields accompanied by packs of hounds which pursue the fox to the kill.

But supporters, who include some members of the Royal Family, say to criminalise hunting would be an infringement of civil liberties. They also say fox hunting is necessary to control a pest that kills livestock. The legislation will have to be endorsed by the upper house, the Lords, before it can become law.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service