Demonstrating in a blood bath

A volunteer from the League Against Cruel Sports dressed up as a huntsman and wallowed in a bath of theatrical blood outside the Millennium Dome in south-east London.

Animal rights activists say they are increasingly impatient with the government, and that it must pull the plug on the "hunting bloodbath".

The organisation is renewing its call for a ban on the sport after the failure of a Private Member's Bill by Labour backbench MP Mike Foster.

Glen Thomas reports: "The demonstration is aimed at securing a ban by the start of the new millennium"

It says it is losing patience with Prime Minister Tony Blair, and has printed tens of thousands of posters with the caption: "It's time you ended this bloodbath. Ban hunting now, Tony."

The group wants Mr Blair to commit himself to a ban before the dome opens at midnight on 31 December.

It said a new poll shows a dramatic fall in support for hunting during the past 18 months, from 23% to just 12%, while backing for a ban has grown from 64% to 72% since Mr Foster's bill received the support of 411 MPs in October 1997.

The BBC's June Kelly: "The word from Westminster is that legislation will have to wait"

Before the General Election, Mr Blair had indicated that Labour would end hunting with hounds, it said.

It had worked patiently with the government since then, while Mr Blair's constituency agent had stated that "reform of the House of Lords had to take place before any hunting bill goes before parliament".

John Cooper, Chairman of the League Against Cruel Sports, and a former Labour party parliamentary candidate, said: "With stage one of Lords reform near completion, we are still waiting for the government to announce what it intends to do about hunting.

'Onus on Tony Blair'

"It is now time that the prime minister stated publicly that this appalling abuse of our wildlife will end.

"The Millennium Dome is supposed to signify a new and exciting Britain under the leadership of New Labour, but whilst the prime minister tolerates the killing of wild animals for pleasure, we will know that nothing much has changed.

"Two years ago many people voted for the Labour party because they had been deliberately led to believe that Tony Blair would end hunting.

"He failed either to vote for or support Michael Foster's private members bill, now it is time for him to deliver."

The organisation plans to take its bloodbath protest around the country, to party conferences and to Scotland, where it is confident that legislation to end blood sports will be enacted.

'Tasteless and offensive'

The Countryside Alliance called the blood protest both "offensive and irrelevant". Spokesman for the Countryside Alliance, Paul Latham, said: "Yet again we see an urban-based organisation pulling a stunt in the centre of London aimed at destroying the rural way of life.

"The government has higher priorities for both urban and rural areas such as employment, health and education, rather than targeting a law-abiding minority that contributes greatly to country life.