A ROW has broken out over 'stewards' used by fox hunters to follow their opponents during events.
A wildlife group has complained about the way it is treated when monitoring the Crawley and Horsham Hunt following the high-profile ban.
West Sussex Wildlife Protection spokesperson Simon Wild made the comments following a hunt meet at Danehill Farm
, West Chiltington, on Saturday December 17.
He said: "This hunt has become so paranoid that large numbers of stewards are now following monitors trying to gather evidence of breaches of the Hunting Act (2004].
"If anyone steps off a footpath they are forced back on the path.
"And if they stop for a few seconds on a footpath to film, they are told they cannot stand still on a footpath and must keep walking.
"We keep well out of the way of the hunt and are not impeding them in any way."
Head of the Crawley and Horsham Hunt Neill Millard said it has been asked to ensure 'hunt saboteurs' did not trespass.
Mr Millard said: "We have been asked by land owners who have got rather tired with the fact that these hunt saboteurs trample across the land.
"They have come to the end of their tether. You are not allowed to dwell on a footpath."
Another Crawley and Horsham Hunt spokesperson added: "All they (the stewards] do is follow them and make sure they are not trespassing.
"Footpaths are a means of getting from a to b. They are not allowed to stand there and film.
"You are not allowed to loiter. That is legally the case. They are not allowed to trespass."