BEST- selling author Jilly Cooper, a well known advocate of animal rights, said this week she had some sympathy for the hunting set.

Although opposed to hare coursing and stag hunting Jilly, speaking after the House of Commons voted to ban fox hunting, said one had to weigh up the alternatives to fox hunting.

"I suppose one ought to be loyal to one's prejudices," she told the SNJ. "I did hunt as a child and absolutely adored it. "Killing the fox is cruel but then the alternatives are so dire.

"It's better than poisoning them, which is probably what would happen otherwise, and if this ban goes through, 24,000 hounds will be killed."

She watched news of last week's protest unfold with interest as her daughter-in-law was among the demonstrators and Jilly is also a friend of the family of Luke Tomlinson, one of the protesters who managed to breach security and reach the inner chamber of the House of Commons.

"When I was researching my book Polo I spent a lot of time at the Cirencester polo club," she said.

"I got to know Claire Tomlinson and her lovely husband Simon who ran the club and their little boy Lukey used to play polo even though he was terribly small.

"They are a lovely family."

"I think those boys managing to get into the Commons was splendid, it was so funny and I don't really think they need to worry about the security if it was an inside job.

"My daughter-in-law Edwina was part of the demonstration in Parliament Square and said the police were unbelievable. "She's quite certain they were told to behave aggressively.

"She told me the demonstrators were trying to hold a rational, nice and calm protest but the police were very heavy handed."

But while there are no easy answers to the great fox hunting debate, said Jilly, it is good to see the how it has spurred country folk into action.

She said: "I think it's fantastic, it's got the countryside all geed up."