SUPPORTERS turned out in their hundreds for the annual Boxing Day hunt which took place in towns across the country.

Crowds met in the marketplace of Boroughbridge, near Ripon, yesterday morning for the York and Ainsty North Hunt as horses and hounds prepared to set off on the trail.

Organisers of the hunt said the annual event's popularity 'shows no signs of waning' as it marks 14 years operating under the Hunting Act.

The Countryside Alliance's Head of Hunting, Polly Portwin said: "Boxing Day meets offer hunts the perfect opportunity to showcase their legal hunting activities to the public and the media.

"Yet again hunts have been welcomed by vast numbers of supporters who have gathered in town squares, outside pubs and in fields surrounding stately homes, to welcome hounds on Boxing Day."