A LEADER of one of the oldest pack of hounds in the country said the fight was still on to save fox hunting.

Michael Bannister, of Coniston Hall, Coniston Cold, who is joint master of the Pendle Forest and Craven Hunt, said: "We still have a battle on our hands. I think eventually a compromise - the middle way - will be accepted.

On Wednesday, MPs voted by 387 to 174 to support a ban.

An alternative - the middle way backed by four cabinet ministers involving licensed hunting under a code of conduct - was rejected by 382 to 182.

But the bill has to go before the Lords, who are expected to vote for the compromise deal.

Mr Bannister said: "The Lords understand that the hunt is not just about killing foxes - it's about conservation and all the elements that keep the countryside going."

He said he would accept the middle way compromise but stressed that hunting was already strictly self-regulated by the Master of Fox Hounds Association. "That is a very disciplined body," he added.

The Pendle Forest and Craven pack of harrier hounds hunt twice a week throughout the season between October and March. About 50 to 60 people take part.

Peter Luff, Tory MP and leader of the middle way, told MPs: "The Lords will vote for a middle way and then MPs will have to stop posturing and take a real vote."

The bill is expected to go before the Lords by the end of February, but it has little chance of reaching the statute book before the election, which is expected in May.

Skipton MP David Curry voted against the ban, while Pendle MP Gordon Prentice supported the proposal.