TWO West Somerset huntsmen are to appear in court next month accused of illegally hunting a stag on the Quantock Hills.

Quantock Staghounds hunt master Chris Gibbons and huntsman Martin Watts have been charged following a meet on March 16.

The occasion was filmed by hunt saboteurs who have targetted the Quantock Staghounds for several years.

It was alleged a stag was killed along a fence line more than five hours after it was first spotted.

Members of the Mendip Hunts Sabs and North Dorset Hunt Sabs later handed footage to the police.

Now, Mr Gibbons and Mr Watts have been charged with illegally hunting a wild mammal with dogs.

Mr Watts also faces a separate charge of illegally hunting with dogs relating to another incident on April 23, when the Quantock Staghounds held its closing meet in Bagborough.

The April meet was filmed by monitors from Wildlife Guardian who recorded a young stag running through Triscombe Quarry, and eventually making its way to New Ground, a League Against Cruel Sports sanctuary.

Mr Gibbons and Mr Watts are due to appear in Taunton Deane Magistrates Court on Thursday, October 22

A Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson said: “These charges are a testament to the extraordinary dedication of the hunt saboteurs and monitors who spend countless hours in the field documenting what happens at stag hunts.

“The Hunting Act must be strengthened to remove the exemptions, loopholes, and excuses that hunts rely on.

“We have been waiting 22 years for the law to catch up.”

Avon and Somerset Constabulary confirmed a ‘man in his sixties has been charged with illegal hunting with dogs for both incidents’.

The police spokesperson said: “Another man, in his thirties, has been charged with illegal hunting with dogs for the March incident.

“He will appear alongside the other defendant on October 22.”