HUNDREDS of people and their dogs marched through Tony Blair's backyard in a show of strength to protest a proposed hunting ban.

An estimated 300 people took part in the Countryside Alliance rally in Trimdon Village, County Durham, yesterday.

They were joined by lurchers, terriers, greyhounds and beagles to demonstrate the depth of feeling against any potential ban on hunting with dogs.

Organisers were delighted by the turnout and reckoned it would have doubled were it not for the atrocious morning weather.

Countryside Alliance supporter Peter Lister, of Tow Law, County Durham, was one of a number of people dressed as convicts for the march.

He said: "I'm wearing this uniform for one reason: because I'm prepared to stand up for our rights.

"There's not one politician in Britain going to stop me from hunting. The first day that they ban hunting I'll be the first man on the field and I hope there'll be a crowd following me."

James Bates, of the Countryside Alliance, said the protest was not just about fox hunting.

He said: "We've got terrier people here and lurcher people. It's a completely different way of hunting life for them but they are still going to be affected by any ban on dogs, which a lot of people don't understand.

"It's more than just fox hunting. This is about a tradition carried out by generations of people."

He said a recent survey estimated that more than 100,000 dogs would have to be put down as a result of a hunting ban, meaning scores of lost jobs.

And he said wildlife would suffer if fox hunting were banned, adding: "The foxes we get are the older and diseased animals, so we're keeping the population healthy."

The protestors gathered at a car park and marched a short distance to the village green, where they heard speeches.

David Jukes, of the Zetland Hunt, said he was one of many who would lose their jobs in the event of a ban.

He said: "The public does not realise how many dogs are involved. It's a much bigger issue than just fox hunting."