Pro-hunt campaigners have launched a legal challenge to overthrow Parliament's ban on the sport.

Lawyers backed by the Countryside Alliance lodged papers at the High Court in London on Friday, seeking a judicial review of the Hunting Act which was finally passed by Parliament on Thursday amid scenes of confusion and bitter recrimination.

Tony Blair, who had made no secret of his hopes that a compromise solution could be found, admitted that the ban would be a main issue at the General Election, thought to be less than six months away.

Countryside Alliance chief executive Simon Hart said they would be pursuing their legal case through the courts, but a parallel campaign of civil disobedience was also undoubtedly on the horizon.

"We are not talking about a branch of football hooligans. We are talking about pillars of the community, people who have a huge respect for the law who are losing that respect," he said.

It has been reported that landowners are preparing to stop the Ministry of Defence using their land for training, prevent the siting of electricity pylons and stop the water companies using their land to spread sewage.

Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael warned that such action would be 'irresponsible, illegal and completely out of proportion'.