British fox hunters are incensed with the announcement the government will use spy cameras to catch them after this week's ban on the hunt goes into effect.
The electronic monitors were approved last week at a secret meeting between Home Secretary David Blunkett and senior police officers in London, The Telegraph reported.
Under the scheme, the police will install modified versions of the speed cameras on trees, fences and hedgerows along known hunting routes to photograph hunt members as they pursue the foxes across the countryside.
The Blair government said last week it expects to see the ban passed by the Labor-dominated parliament as soon as Wednesday.
Motorists and protesters have turned violent against such cameras placed on streets and highways for traffic monitoring. Many have been pulled down, had their lenses spray-painted, and in one case, someone tried to "blind" the camera with the beam of a laser pen, the newspaper said.
Advocates of the fox hunt have mounted a publicity campaign encouraging horse-riding hunters to wear balaclavas while following the hounds.
© Copyright 2004 by United Press International
