HUNDREDS of hunt supporters across the North-East and North Yorkshire last night vowed to test the law on hunting - the day after a ban comes into force.

Packs of foxhounds and beagles will meet throughout the region on Saturday - only 24 hours after the ban in England and Wales becomes law.

The pro-hunting group Countryside Alliance pledged hunts would operate within the law, but said hunts planned to test loopholes in the Hunting Act.

Violence erupted yesterday between animal rights protestors and spectators at Britain's last major hare-coursing event before the sport is made illegal.

About 200 protestors attended the Waterloo Cup, in Lancashire, to demonstrate against the sport, and three people were arrested.

Richard Dodd, North-East regional director of the alliance, said activities this weekend would test the new law, which has been branded farcical by supporters.

He said: "We are going to try to hunt within the law. We will meet to make sure this law is tested.

"We believe it is a biased law and a law created out of spite. It is our duty, when they are banning 300 years of our heritage, to test the law.

"We are not saying it is business as normal, but we will see what happens.

"We will see what police resources are going to be put in place and we will see what anti-hunt activities there are."

Durham and North Yorkshire police forces said they would investigate any unlawful activities, but policing so many hunts would be difficult.

Hunts from the region that will meet on Saturday include the Zetland hunt, from Aldbrough St John, near Darlington; South Durham hunt, which dates back to the 17th Century and is based at Sedgefield, County Durham; and Hurworth Hunt, based at West Rounton, North Yorkshire.

Hunt supporters said the new law was unclear and unenforcable.

Joe Townsend, of the Hurworth Hunt, which was formed 200 years ago, said: "We are absolutely devastated by the ban.

"It is totally unenforcable. I feel sorry for the police. They have to prove we intended to hunt a fox.

"If a fox gets in the way and a hound takes off, we will do our best to stop it.

"It will be very difficult to prove whether we intended them to be chasing the fox or whether we intended to stop them."

A spokesman for Durham Police said: "We knew that policing or enforcing the new law would be difficult, but that does not mean that we won't try.

"If we receive any information that provides evidence of a crime, then we will investigate it, but we are not planning to chase around hunts, that would be impossible."

Middleton Hunt, in Malton, North Yorkshire, which has more than 200 full members, said it would not be hunting on Saturday but would meet to go riding.