Judge calls on Trust to give hunters a hearing

22 August 1997

Judge calls on Trust to give hunters a hearing

THE High Court stopped short of granting an injunction forcing the National Trust to reconsider its ban on deer hunting.

But it called on the Trust to reconsider its decision which it felt was made in secret, too quickly, and without consulting huntsmen.

Mr Justice Walker gave the Devon and Somerset Staghounds and the Quantock Staghounds leave to take their case to the High Court for a further hearing to fight the Trusts refusal to grant licences for hunting on its land.

The hunts said they would continue to fight through the courts if they were not given the opportunity to put their case to the Trust council.