A PUBLICAN has hit out at a campaign to boycott pubs with links to hunting.

Alison McCarthy, landlady of the Shoulder of Mutton, at Holcombe, has labelled a bid by the North West Hunt Saboteurs Association (NWHSA) bid as another attack on country life.

The Holcombe Hunt, the oldest pack in the country, has had a long association with the 250-year-old village pub.

Mrs McCarthy said: "Not only are the hunt protesters trying to put many people whose livelihoods depend on the hunt out a job, but they have started targeting pubs."

The Shoulder of Mutton is the meet for the Holcombe Hunt's New Year's Day meeting.

Mrs McCarthy added: "It is a ridiculous campaign when there are bigger concerns than fox hunting which is a traditional and natural way of controlling foxes."

The Pack Horse Inn, in Affetside, and Wagon and Horses in Hawkshaw have also been listed. NWSA spokesman Paul Timpson said: "By providing a venue for hunts to hold social or fund-raising events or by hosting a meet prior to a day's killing, these public houses are at the very heart of this callous, cruel and bloody sport."