A NEW study undertaken to prove that "fox population management is working perfectly" has reignited the hunting debate in Cumbria.

The research by academics at Bristol University found that the number of foxes in the UK had remained stable over the past 25 years at about 250,000.

The pro-hunting Countryside Alliance has taken the findings to prove that the present system of "using hunts, shoots and other legal methods to manage foxes is working perfectly."

But Lake District co-ordinator for The League Against Cruel Sports, Elaine Milburn, spoke out against the Alliance's view that fox hunting was a means of conservation, calling the activity "cruel and unnecessary."

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