MORE than 150 hunting enthusiasts braved biting winds on the North Pennine fells to set off on foot in pursuit of the humble hare.

And their departure with a 30-strong pack of beagles from Langdon Beck, in Upper Teesdale, was heralded by two Frenchmen blasting out a fanfare on their traditional hunting horns.

Followers of seven beagle packs from County Durham, Yorkshire and the South Tyne Valley were joined by 26 huntsmen from Ireland for the premier event of the 23rd Alston Hare Week - the biggest festival of its kind to be staged in the North.

Hunt organisers were quick to point out that there was no cruelty involved in the sport, which they described as "more a battle of wits between hound and hare".

John Haigh, from Thirsk, a founder member of the festival, said: "The Game Conservancy Trust has shown that hares are in decline only in areas where farmers are not sympathetic to land use. This has been confirmed by the Burns inquiry, set up by the Government.

"There is nothing cruel in hunting hares - it is a very natural thing to do."

The number of hares in the UK has shot up from a low of 250,000 before last year's foot-and-mouth epidemic to more than two million today.

The animals are hunted down by beagle packs, who are followed on foot by the huntsmen.

Beagle pack masters justify the killing of hares by describing the damage they cause to fresh crops of vegetables and grass in fields. They claim three hares can eat the same amount as one sheep. The hares also cause damaged to newly-planted hedgerows.

Simon Beckett, master of the Weardale and Teesdale Beagles, which organised yesterday's hunt, said: "Because of changes in farming techniques, the hare population has gone up. Hunting them is a traditional recreation and an important way of conserving the countryside."

Frenchman Didier Varenne, from Senlis, north of Paris, with his friend, Max Delacommune, were given their first taste of hunting hares with hounds in Britain.

He said: "This could never become a popular sport in France. Farmers don't like dogs running about on their land. They prefer to shoot animals like rabbits and hares."

The Alston Hare Week started last Saturday, in Cumbria, and up until yesterday the huntsmen had bagged just three hares.

They will be hoping for better luck before the event ends, this evening.