HUNTSMEN said it was business as usual despite criticism from the police over their use of a bird of prey.

Cattistock Hounds huntsman Charlie Watts said that the group were carrying on 'as any other day' when they met at Abbotsbury to follow a trail across the countryside.

The group had been criticised by Dorset police wildlife crime officer PC John Snelling for using a falcon to flout the ban on hunting.

Under the Hunting Act it is allowed to use dogs to chase foxes if they are to be caught by a bird of prey.

PC Snelling, a falconer, said that it would be impossible for a falcon to catch a fox and said it was merely a 'token bird'.

Mr Watts said that the flaw lay with the wording of the Act rather than the actions of the group.

"There was nothing in the act that said we were doing anything wrong. When the Bill was drawn up there was no mention of what sort of bird of prey you could use," he said.

He added that the group had no further plans to hunt with falcons and said they had been following a scented trail when they used the bird and had not caught anything.

Dorset Anti-Blood Sports spokesman Neal Buckoke said the falcon incident had shown that the law was not strong enough.

He said members of the group would be monitoring the hunt to ensure it remained within the law but added it was impossible to track all the group's activities.

Mr Buckoke said: "The law is ridiculous - the hunts are laughing about it.

"In some ways it would be easier for us to go out and sabotage them than to go and film them."

Cattistock assistant to the working master Liz Elliot said that the hunt would continue hunting within the law using fake scent trail and added: "It's so important to keep this community together

"To the general public it might appear that nothing looks different, but behind the scenes it is."

She added: "Without the overwhelming support of the farming community we would not be able to do it at all."