DOZENS of hunting and shooting enthusiasts are planning to pound the streets of Swindon as part of a campaign to punish Labour at the polls.

Riders from the Beaufort, Old Berkshire and Vale of White Horse hunts are preparing to campaign on behalf of Robert Buckland, Conservative parliamentary candidate for South Swindon in the forthcoming general election campaign.

However, householders in the constituency told the Advertiser the campaign would be a waste of time as it wouldn't make any difference to how they would vote.

The hunts have decided to canvas voters on doorsteps, distribute election leaflets and put up Tory posters across the constituency after the hunting season finishes next month.

The campaign is being organised by farmer Charles Mann, who lives near Lechlade.

He is also targeting the Labour seats of Kingswood, Bristol, and Stroud, and the Liberal Democrat seat of Northavon, near Bristol.

Mr Mann, who rides with the Vale of White Horse Hunt, told the Advertiser he was targeting South Swindon because current MP Julia Drown had voted in favour of a hunting ban.

He believes the 7,341-majority seat is now at risk because Ms Drown is standing down the seat will be contested by Labour candidate Anne Snelgrove.

He said: "One of the factors in choosing seats to campaign

for is whether the existing MP is standing down because it gives more of an opportunity for new people coming in.

"Julia Drown has been adamantly against any of the arguments.

"She will say that she has been out to see a hunt but she does not listen to what local people tell her.

"We will be doing the things that happened 30 years ago pounding the streets, giving out leaflets and putting up posters. We will be a resource to be used.

"Just to show how many people we are talking about, on Sunday we helped out in the central London seat of Hammersmith and gave out 25,000 leaflets in one day," he said.

He added that members of the hunting community will be joined by shooting enthusiasts, gamekeepers and anglers on the streets of the town.

Mr Buckland said: "I welcome any help on offer. I am delighted they are offering to help. As far as I am concerned whether you go hunting or not this is an issue about civil liberties and personal freedoms."

But Ms Snelgrove said: "Obviously anyone can campaign and I welcome any challenge. However, I would be mystified if anyone in South Swindon would think the hunting debate has anything to do with them.

"They the hunts are looking to the past while Labour is looking to the future."

And Ms Drown said: "Before people start going out on the streets and supporting the Conservatives, I hope they remember the high inflation and unemployment rates under the last Tory Government."

Mark Hookham & Gareth Bethell