Distressing footage has been released of the moment a pack of hounds appear to savage - and kill - a fox.

The video was captured in Westmarsh, near Canterbury, by members of the West Kent Hunt Saboteurs Association, a group which aims to stop illegal hunts and save wildlife.

Members intervened as dozens of hounds set upon the fox in front of a property on Saturday. The animal could not be saved.

Harry Blackhurst, a spokesman for the hunt saboteurs' said: "We arrived about 10.30am - they started hunting at 11.30am.

"Immediately the hounds went into cry which is the noise they make when they pick up the scent of a fox, it’s like a howling noise.

"For two hours they were hunting this fox and we saw it several times. Our main goal as hunt saboteurs is to save wildlife and also to record illegal activity."

Hunting of foxes with hounds was made illegal by legislation introduced in 2004.

However, drag or trail hunting - where a scent is laid and hounds and horses follow the trail - is still permitted.

"We tried our absolute best to save it by distracting the hounds and the hunt, but unfortunately in this incident is wasn’t to be.

"They killed it in someone’s front garden which is shocking.

"Most of the time, we are able to save the wildlife, but not everyday is like yesterday.

"It is hard and everyone in our group is upset in some way about what happened."

The incident has been reported to police who confirmed an investigation is now ongoing.

Fox hunting was banned in England and Wales when the Hunting Act was introduced.

However, hunt saboteurs claim trail hunting frequently ends up with hounds following the scent of a live animal.

According to the Hunting Office, which is responsible for the administration of hunting across Great Britain and aims to promote and protect the interests of hunting, "if the hounds pick up the scent of a live quarry, the huntsman and other members of hunt staff stop the hounds as soon as they are made aware that the hounds are no longer following a trail that has been laid".

Those opposed to the practice would suggest otherwise.

But despite the legislation, Mr Blackhurst insists hunts still go ahead twice a week in Kent between September and April every year as the legislation can easily be exploited.

Mr Blackhurst added: "We are determined to see the end of fox hunting nationally, but in Kent first and foremost.

"The amount of people who go out to support hunts has never been so small and that’s because they are breaking the law every week.

"People don’t want to be associated with that video.

"But hunts have continued as normal because there is just no incentive for them to stop.

Almost certainly they will say it was an accident

"The police are investigating but the problem is that the Hunting Act has various loopholes and one of them is that they are legally allowed to trail hunt, so they can hunt the scent of the fox, but they are not allowed to hunt an actual fox.

"If they end up killing a fox by accident, then can get off because that’s allowed.

"Almost certainly they will say it was an accident. Convictions have happened but it’s very difficult.

"We would like to see law strengthened."

Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for the East Kent Hunt with West Street: “On Saturday, January 14, the East Kent Hunt with West Street was trail hunting on land where we had permission to conduct our lawful hunting activities.

"We have been made aware of footage that has been circulated by anti-hunting activists whose intention was to sabotage our activities by harassing our supporters and disrupting our trail hunting by distracting our hounds and taking them away from the huntsman whose role it is to control the pack.

"There were no members of hunt staff or any hunt officials present during the time of the alleged incident and it doesn’t seem clear what the circumstances were, however, we believe that the incident could have been caused almost entirely by the actions of the saboteurs who distracted the hounds and then turned the wild mammal back into the path of the pack."

Kent police is asking for any witnesses to contact investigating officers at rural.task.force@kent.police.uk.