GORDON Prentice has launched a fierce attack on the "bully boy tactics" used by pro hunting campaigners which led to a demonstration outside his East Lancashire constituency office yesterday.

The Pendle MP raised the protest at his Nelson base when he attacked the behaviour of protesters during a special Commons debate.

Mr Prentice, who was instrumental in forcing the Government to introduce a multi option bill expected to lead to a ban on hunting with hounds, strongly condemned the intimidation and threats behind his opponents' campaign.

He said that when protesters demonstrated outside the Commons he had been subjected to a stream of vitriol from opponents seeking to stop him observing their activities.

He had received threatening letters and been described as a "stinking little rat."

He then told fellow MPs and Home Secretary Jack Straw: "Today there is a demonstration by countryside campaigners outside my constituency office. I don't think that's the sort of thing that members want for their constituency staff."

Afterwards Mr Prentice said: "I was attacking the bully tactics being used by the pro hunting lobby. They are demonstrating outside my office knowing that I am in London."

Countryside Alliance North West spokesman David Stocker pointed to the 30-strong gathering of apparently quiet, tweedie, mainly middle-aged gentlefolk and asked: "Do they look like bully-boys to you? It is ridiculous"

"This is simply a gesture to make a simple point that valuable Parliamentary time should not be taken up with this divisive and upsetting debate when there are far more pressing issues to deal with." He added: "It is a free country and we have every right to be here."

And Mr Stocker thanked the MP for handing the protest a publicity coup: "We hoped for a little local press interest, but to have our protest highlighted in Parliament is something else."

In the Commons Mr Prentice said that if he had raised the prospect of mass disobedience and law breaking by pit men during the miners strike as Tories were doing over a fox hunting ban, there would have been uproar.

Mr Prentice praised the master of the Pendle Forest and Craven hunt, Michael Bannister, for writing a measured and reasoned letter defending fox hunting partly as a social sport supporting many dances and other events.

Mr Prentice said: "He can still have his dances without killing animals for fun. I think killing mammals for fun is repellent."