TAUNTON Vale Harriers met for the start of its traditional Boxing Day hunt outside the Catherine Wheel pub in Hemyock.

The hunt went ahead despite wet and muddy conditions which prevented the huntsmen and hounds taking to fields.

About 250 spectators and supporters turned up to greet the 30-horse strong hunt in The Square, along with 35 hounds.

“We kept mostly to the lanes – not fields,” said First Whip Paul Redwood. “We’ve always had good relations with local farmers.”

Vale Harriers meets on Mondays and Thursdays, and occasionally on Saturdays during the season, which runs from October to mid-April.

Before the start of the Boxing Day meet, a scented rag was used to lay a trail for the hunt by one of the riders.