Cheshire police are investigating reports a dead fox was discovered in the garden of a private house near Kelsall around the time a hunt was in the area.

Police have confirmed the incident was reported on Wednesday, October 25, after The Chronicle was alerted by an anti-hunting group who allege the involvement of Cheshire Forest Hunt.

A spokesperson for the hunt firmly denied a fox was killed that day but did not wish to comment further.

Anti-hunting group Cheshire Monitors supplied this picture of a fox claiming it was killed by hounds from the Cheshire Forest Hunt on Wednesday, October, 25 - an allegation which has been denied.

Hunting with hounds became illegal under the Hunting Act 2004 but many hunts lay trails for the hounds to follow pursued by the riders on horseback and others on foot.

Cheshire police is urging anyone with information to get in touch.

A police spokesperson said: “At 7.27pm on 25 October police received a report of a dead fox in a garden at an address in Longley Lane, Woodside, Kelsall. The matter has been passed to the wildlife crime officer for her to look into.”

The spokesperson added: ”The caller reported a hunt was in the area that afternoon and that a fox appeared to have been killed in a neighbour’s garden.”

Cheshire Police

Anti-hunting group Cheshire Monitors said the owners of the property where the dead fox was found do not wish to speak publicly about the case.

But the group’s Facebook page shows a graphic photo of the apparently savaged animal along with their version of events.

It reads: “On the morning of Wednesday 25th October this fox was found disembowelled in the garden of a private house a short distance from the village of Kelsall.

“On the same morning the Cheshire Forest Hunt were ‘riding out in the area’ (their words) and were seen on the road outside the house where this terrible act took place, by a number of local people passing by.

The Cheshire Forest Hunt set off from Belmont Hall, Great Budworth, back in 2013
The Cheshire Forest Hunt

“The Cheshire Forest Hunt have denied hunting on that day, claiming to be merely ‘exercising hounds’ at this time of year. This is despite the fact they were seen being accompanied by a quad bike carrying cages containing terriers, commonly used when hunting foxes.”

Anyone with information about the incident can contact Cheshire police on 101 quoting incident number 836 of October 25, 2017.