RED coats will adorn Wiltshire's countryside today when some of the county's most established hunts ride out for the first time since a ban that made their sport illegal came into force.

The ban coms into force after this week's failed attempt by the Countryside Alliance to overturn Parliament's ban on the traditional rural sport.

Three senior judges headed by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, rejected arguments that the 1949 Parliament Act, which MPs used to force through the Hunting Act in the face of opposition from the House of Lords, was invalid.

The Avon Vale and Beaufort Hunts have planned huge meets in a bid to underline their campaign against the law, which made hunting with hounds illegal from yesterday.

More than 400,000 supporters, who fear for job losses, are expected to flock to about 270 hunts planned for this weekend nationwide.

But protesters will try and sabotage the first meets since the law has been passed by video recording and gaining evidence to show to the police.

Ian Farquhar has been joint master of the Badminton-based Beaufort Hunt for 20 years. He said a meeting is planned at Worcester Lodge, near Didmarton on today.

"It's going to be a massive meet. I would be surprised if there weren't 200 horses and two or three thousand people there," he said.

Mr Farquhar, who lives near Tetbury, said they will be hunting with hounds but will continue with different options. He said: "Three things are still legal. Hound exercise, trail hunting and on occasions we will have to go out with the hounds and a gun to areas where people are having problems with foxes."

He added: "It's a ridiculous law. What we are quite determined to do is keep the community together and keep the horses and employment until people see that this is completely ridiculous. We will continue to campaign for a change in the law."

John Adderley, joint secretary of the Avon Vale Hunt, said it is preparing to overturn the Labour Government.

"We are not going to stand idly back. Alun Michael said if people want they can use the ballot box to get it back."

Today, the Avon Vale Hunt will meet at Monks Park, Gastard and will trail hunt. A scent trail will be laid out to mimic what a real fox does to keep the hounds interested.

Mr Adderley said: "It's totally odious and appalling that we have to do this. We are forced because we don't want to break the law. We have been in contact with the police at every level and have said we won't hunt live quarry.

"We will make sure that our hounds, our kennels and our lives are preserved the best they can."

North Wiltshire MP James Gray will visit the Avon Vale meet today, but will be on foot rather than horseback. "I wouldn't want people to get the wrong impression but I think it's right for me to be there and wish them well," he said.

Rodney Ellis, a lifelong huntsman and joint master of the Tedworth Hunt, believes the hunt ban that takes effect at midnight tonight will bring about a long slow death of the sport.

Today the Tedworth, like most other hunts, said Mr Ellis, will be out in force to take part in a trail hunt.

Mr Ellis said hunts have come up with various concoctions of scent.

He said: "I know of one where they dragged a dead fox across the fields but I don't think that was very nice."

Mr Ellis said: "Everyone is going out. It's just to say Up Yours to the government, a token way of letting them know how we feel."