FOUR East Lancashire MPs have vowed to keep up the battle to ban the "barbaric" sport of fox hunting.

Burnley's Peter Pike and Hyndburn's Greg Pope spoke out as campaigning Worcester MP Mike Foster withdrew his bill to outlaw blood sports in the face of concerted Tory opposition.

Rossendale and Darwen's Janet Anderson, and Pendle MP Gordon Prentice have also strongly supported the measure which would ban all hunting with hounds.

Ribble Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans has opposed the ban, while Blackburn MP Jack Straw has had to stand aside from the debate in view of his position as Home Secretary.

Mr Pike said he and his colleagues were furious that a small number of MPs, flying in the face of public opinion and the democratic will of the record number of 411 MPs who supported the ban, had wrecked Mr Foster's measure's chances. Mr Pike said: "Support for the bill has been tremendous with major polls showing that 73 per cent of the UK public, and even 57 per cent of countryside residents, are in favour of a ban on hunting with hounds.

"The sheer volume of post I received on this issue from residents here in Burnley demonstrates the mammoth support a ban enjoys among my constituents.

"This is not an issue which sets town against country. It is clearly one that unites them. Those who wish to continue hunting with dogs may imagine that they have won a victory. They may also hope that the issue will disappear.

"I can assure them that on behalf of my constituents, and my parliamentary colleagues in East Lancashire who voted for the bill, that we shall continue to press for a ban on this barbaric sport."

Mr Pope said: "It is an outrage that the bill has had to be withdrawn. It has massive public support and overwhelming backing in the House of Commons.

"I shall continue to campaign for this bill to become law."

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