'Aggressive' huntsman snatches car keys off protester and throws them into field during heated clash near Napton

A huntsman was caught on camera snatching car keys off protesters near Napton and throwing them into a field during yet another heated foul-mouthed clash.

Members of the West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs have also alleged that the Warwickshire Hunt slashed their car tyre with an old fashioned weapon. Warwickshire Police are investigating their claims but Warwickshire Hunt categorically deny that hey were involved in this.

This latest incident happened on Monday October 10 when the Warwickshire Hunt met at Napton on the Hill.

West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs were also in attendance filming the hunt's activities after they had filmed a fox being killed at the same location last year.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs (WMHS) said: “Last year we filmed a fox being killed behind a hunt master's farm in Napton. This year instead of avoiding anything similar happening the Warwickshire Hunt chose to hunt the exact same spot behind the farm.

"It seems our constant presence at their hunt meets is frustrating them. As soon as we drove off from filming this location we heard a noise coming from one of our tyres.

"After inspecting it there appeared to be a metal spike embedded into the tyre. We later realised this was a caltrop. You don’t accidentally drive over caltrops. Caltrops are a medieval weapon originally designed to be used against horses but nowadays used to puncture tyres.

"After getting our tyre sorted we returned to the hunt only for one of their regular riders to open the door to our vehicle and steal the keys."

The moment is caught on camera as riders swear at the protesters. Due to the Warwickshire Hunt's foul language, we cannot publish the video on this site.

When the protester asks for her keys back, the huntsman says 'here are your ******* keys' before tossing them over a hedge and into a field.

"This aggressive behavior is a clear escalation by the Warwickshire Hunt to try to intimidate us and stop us from exposing what they are doing," said WMHS.

In response, Warwickshire Hunt said: “We can categorically state that the alleged incident regarding tyre damage has nothing to do with the hunt. To damage a vehicle in such a way would be incredibly dangerous and pose a real risk to other road users, we hope that the cause of any such damage will be found, and if intentional the perpetrators will be prosecuted accordingly.”

They did not address the car key incident but did claim that the anti-hunting campaigners are the ones acting illegally, with two members reportedly being arrested for interfering in a legal badger cull.

“We are increasingly worried about the erratic and libellous accusations that are being levelled at the hunt,” added the spokesperson.

“It seems they are desperately trying to offset their illegal actions by pointing the finger elsewhere.

“As always we are happy to work with the Warwickshire Police to help expose the truth behind the latest story from the WMHS.”