HUNTS across the region have survived the hunting ban despite bad weather affecting the last outings of the season.

Packs of foxhounds and beagles have operated within the legislation laid down by the Hunting Act 2004 imposed on February 18, which banned the hunting of foxes, deer and hares with dogs.

However, support of the hunts has not waned and many meetings have received a higher than average turnout.

Each hunt has changed its constitution from fox hunting or hare coursing to hunting a drag or a trail or to just purely exercising the dogs.

The regional chairman of the Countryside Alliance, Angela Vaux, said: "After the ban, every hunt had the most amazing turnout. However, the weather has been against us since February 19 but it served us very well up until then.

"The Zetland Hunt has had one trail hunting experiment and it worked very well.

"Younger hounds were used because the older ones wouldn't play ball and would only end up chasing foxes. The younger dogs thought it was great fun.

"Over the summer, all the hunts will be working out what to do in the future."

Carolyn Cameron, joint master of the Zetland Hunt, said that owing to bad weather, it had cancelled a hunting trip in Scotland, where they were still allowed to use a full pack of hounds to drive foxes on to guns.

She said: "The snow stopped us from meeting but on March 12 we had a hunt breakfast and a cross-country ride, which was well supported.

"The season has now finished and we have been able to keep the staff employed. The hounds still need to be looked after but most people have returned to their farms or jobs."

On July 13 and 14, a preliminary hearing will be held at the High Court, following which nine law lords will decide if the 1949 Parliament Act is valid. If they decide it is not, then the Hunting Ban will also be found invalid.

Hinging on that decision, the Countryside Alliance has launched a petition for a legal challenge to the Hunting Act 2004 under the Human Rights Act 1998.

Huntsman Joe Townsend, of the Hurworth Hunt, said that under the ban foxes were worse off.

"We have accounted for four foxes legally but if people think that killing them with a shotgun is a better way, then they are wrong," he said.

"It's so indiscriminate. You don't know if you are shooting a healthy or pregnant fox.

"When a vixen is in cub or milking she loses her scent. Looking back in all of my diaries, all of the foxes that have ever been caught in February have been dog foxes."

He said that the hunt was surviving and supported the legal challenge.

"We are hanging in there and have not signed off any staff because we have made cutbacks in other areas," said Mr Townsend.

"However, should the ban persist then ultimately staff will be lost and hounds put down."