HUNT organisers have paid a donation to charity after their hounds ran loose through a Cotswold village. 

The hounds navigated busy roads, jumped over garden fences and ran down private estate roads before they eventually managed to get them back under control.

Distressed residents reported the incident to the police after the hounds ran through gardens and wildlife reserves in Bourton less than a month ago.

Police at the time said they were investigating but said that no confirmed offences had been found.

Although legally allowed to be off-lead, hounds must be under "proper control" in which an investigation found that they were not. 

As a result of the investigation organisers of the hunt have paid a donation to a local wildlife charity to make some amends to the community for their actions.

A spokesperson for the Rural, Wildlife and Heritage Crime Team at Gloucestershire Constabulary, said: "On the October 18 2024, the team received reports of out of control hounds causing distress to residents in Bourton on the Water.

"The hounds were running through resident's gardens and down the roads onto local SSSI and wildlife reserves.

"Hounds are legally permitted to be off-lead on a road for 'sporting purposes', as long as they are under 'proper control' which an investigation determined that at the time they were not.

"A Community Resolution was issued under Section 27 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 whereby the hunt have paid a donation to a local wildlife charity to make some amends to the community for their actions."

The hounds were caught on camera on a private estate after the hunt lost control of them in open country. 

John Petrie, senior campaigns manager for the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “It’s evident that the hounds were out of control, in all likelihood after picking up the trail of a fox.

“Hunts claim they follow pre-laid trails, but that’s clearly not the case here or the hounds would not have run off.

“And who on earth would lay a trail through a popular tourist hotspot and home for thousands of villagers?

“It’s time for change and for fox hunting laws to be strengthened, with so-called trail hunting banned, loopholes in the law removed, and custodial sentences introduced for those that break the law.”