MPs voted overwhelmingly last night for a total ban on fox-hunting with dogs in England and Wales.

In a free vote, the House of Commons rejected a Government plan which would have allowed some fox-hunting under licence while banning stag-hunting and hare-coursing. Instead they backed an outright ban by 362 to 154, a majority of 208.

The vote, which came after five and a half hours of stormy debate, was met by noisy jeers and cheers from pro- and anti-hunting demonstrators in Parliament Square.

It followed a last-minute turn-around by Environment Minister Alun Michael who withdrew a proposed amendment to the Hunting Bill which opponents feared might prevent any vote on a complete ban.

Doubts were immediately raised over whether the Bill will now become law during this Parliament, as Mr Michael said it would have to be sent to a Commons committee for procedural work to incorporate the complete ban.

This will mean it missing its timetabled slot for debate in the House of Lords next month.

It will also almost certainly mean the Bill now cannot be forced through the Lords against the wishes of hostile peers, because it has changed fundamentally from the way it was first presented to MPs.

Mr Michael warned MPs last night that it would be "extremely difficult" with an amended Bill to invoke the Parliament Act, the device usually used to ignore the wishes of the Lords.

The successful amendment calling for a total ban was tabled by Labour MP and former minister Tony Banks, with the backing of more than 100 colleagues.

Prime Minister Tony Blair did not take part in the vote on the amendment.

Following the vote, Mr Banks said: "It is excellent news.

"We have got some tidying up to do, which we will do in committee, and hopefully we have achieved a total ban on the hunting of wild mammals with dogs, which is something we promised as a party that we would do."

Mr Banks hoped the Bill would get through Parliament, but he acknowledged it was not yet certain.

Simon Hart, head of the Countryside Alliance's campaign for hunting, said that last night's vote meant the Bill was wrecked and would not get through Parliament.

He said: "Rather than the death of hunting, this is the death of the Hunting Bill.

"The Bill is in complete chaos and is now terminally damaged. I think it is the end of the Bill."

Last night, Mark Shotton, master of the South Durham Hunt - which covers Tony Blair's constituency - said of the MPs' decision that society in general no longer understood the countryside.

"We preserve the foxes and the country way of life and hunting is part of our heritage," he said. "Once it is gone we will never get it back."