Shropshire Council faces backlash over Boxing Day hunt exemptions

Image: Herefordshire Hunt Sabs

Every Boxing Day, the Ludlow Hunt parades its pack of foxhounds through Ludlow town centre. Dozens of dogs run loose, weaving through crowds of people and children. Any ordinary dog owner who allowed this would be fined on the spot. But because it’s a hunt, Shropshire Council turns a blind eye.

Last year, campaigners at Action Against Foxhunting (AAF) succeeded in blocking the Hunt from beginning its parade inside Ludlow Castle. Instead, the meet spilled out onto the streets — with the Council granting a road closure under an archaic Victorian law (the Town Police Clauses Act 1847). Before that, the Hunt had simply blocked roads without permission.

At the same time, Shropshire has a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) that bans dogs from running freely in public areas. Break the rules, and you face a £100 fine. Yet the Council has refused to apply the PSPO to the Ludlow Hunt’s hounds.

AAF has repeatedly challenged this decision, raising concerns about public safety and fair enforcement. Their evidence shows that hounds at public events can pose hygiene risks and that the Council has been inconsistent in how it enforces the rules. Despite detailed correspondence, campaigners say their concerns have been dismissed with contradictory and inaccurate replies.

One council response described the Ludlow Hunt as a “humane drag hunt” — yet the Hunt itself openly states it uses fox scent, making it a trail hunt, a practice the Government has already signalled it intends to ban. Other council replies suggested that hunting is akin to “farming activity,” despite hunts being private businesses.

The result is a clear double standard: hunts appear to be given exemptions not available to anyone else.

That’s why, ahead of this year’s Boxing Day meet, we are supporting AAF’s call for Shropshire Council to enforce its own rules. No unleashed hounds in town centres. No dangerous exemptions. No more privileges for hunts.

👉 Sign the petition now to tell Shropshire Council: Stop putting hunts above the law. Enforce the PSPO this Boxing Day.

Together, we can make sure that Boxing Day in Ludlow is about community, not cruelty, and that the law applies equally to everyone.

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