An animal rights campaigner has described his delight after a ban on fox hunting moved a step closer this week.

The House of Commons voted for the Hunting Bill as thousands of pro-hunt protesters demonstrated outside Parliament yesterday.

Harwich town and district councillor Lawrie Payne, a member of the national executive committee of the League Against Cruel Sports, gave his reaction to the vote.

He said: "We have got what we have campaigned for decades to achieve and we're excited that at long last we have achieved our major aims.

"But at the same time we're frustrated that the law won't come in as soon as we'd like."

Published Thursday, September 16, 2004

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