Hunts across the county have been illegally chasing British wildlife, according to reports received by a leading animal welfare charity.

Since November last year, the League Against Cruel Sports has catalogued incidents including terrified foxes chased to exhaustion across the Kent countryside.

Badger setts have also been blocked up near hunt meets to stop foxes taking refuge during the chase and hounds have bolted after deer through a field of startled pet ponies.

The incidents in Kent form part of more than 282 reports of suspected illegal hunting across the UK received by the league since the hunting season began on November 1.

Across the country 60 animals were witnessed being chased and killed, including 42 foxes and four hares which were torn apart by packs of hounds and 17 deer which were pursued for miles until exhausted and then shot.

In Kent, the league received the following reports of illegal hunting since the season started in November.

On November 3, a fox was chased by hounds during a meet of the Ashford Valley Hunt at Shadoxhurst, with the animal taking refuge down a hole.

Three days later a deer was chased by hounds during a meet of the Crawley & Horsham Hunt at Ashurst near the Kent and Sussex border.

On November 17, a fox was chased by hounds during a meet of the East Kent with West Street Hunt at Barham.

And else where on the same day a deer was chased by hounds during a meet of the Old Surrey, Burstow & West Kent Hunt at Chiddingstone, between Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells.

The hunt proceeded through a field of startled pet ponies.

Then on November 27, badger setts were found blocked up during a meet of the East Kent with West Street Hunt at St Mary’s in the March, near New Romney.

Apparently this is a common tactic performed by hunt terrier men to stop foxes fleeing underground.

And on December 22, a fox was chased by hounds during a meet of the East Kent with West Street Hunt at Aldington, near Ashford.

Chris Luffingham, director of campaigns at the league said: “Despite hunting being banned in 2004, hunts are still sickeningly chasing and killing wildlife in Kent.

“These figures are sadly just the tip of the iceberg but they show that the hunts are breaking the law and killing foxes, hares and deer for their so called ‘sport’.

“The good news is that the new technology being adopted by the people monitoring hunts means it is becoming far more difficult for the hunts to get away with their illegal activity.”

Hunting with hounds was banned in 2004 but is still rife in the British countryside.

The rise of smart camera phones and social media use by people and hunt monitor groups means the scale of the hunts’ illegal activities are coming increasingly under the spotlight - much more so than happened in the immediate aftermath of the ban.

"Professional investigators employed by the league back this up by using sophisticated techniques and new technology to uncover the hunts’ illegal activity.

The figures come from reports by the public into the league’s animal crimewatch service, reports by monitoring and saboteur groups posted on Facebook, and from professional investigators employed by the league to monitor hunts.

Some of the professional investigators are former police officers who bring years of front-line experience to the organisation.

In the UK, there are 271 hunts still in existence according to the Hunting Office which represents them.

Mr Luffingham added: "We are calling for the hunting ban to be strengthened with the introduction of prison sentences for those caught illegally hunting.

"We need a proper deterrent to stop the barbaric activities of the hunts and we also need to close down loop holes that allow hunts to use transparent excuses such as trail hunting.”

A spokesperson for the Countryside Alliance commented: “Packs of hounds within Kent operate within the law to comply with the Hunting Act 2004. Hunts are regularly subjected to spurious allegations regarding their legal hunting activities and are frequently plagued by balaclava-clad animal-rights activists who intimidate and harass hunt supporters and landowners, seeking to provoke a response they can then broadcast on social media.

"Anti-hunting activists exploit the fact that social media amplifies their highly emotive messages regardless of the facts.

"Their tactic of spreading highly edited footage works well online but it often results in hundreds of hours of wasted police time, which is totally unacceptable. As the Cheshire Police recently commented, action can only be taken when evidence exists.”

“It is 14 years since the Hunting Act was enforced yet there have been just 24 convictions under the Hunting Act 2004 relating to registered hunts, despite more than a quarter of a million days hunting having taken place by over 250 hunts during this time.

"These figures do not suggest that hunts are breaking the law and is confirmation that the infrastructure of hunting remains an integral part of the countryside and is here to stay.

“The Ashford Valley Tickham Hunt emphatically denies this spurious and libellous allegation.

"The Ashford Valley Tickham Hunt operates legally to comply with the law by trail-hunting and would fully cooperate with any police investigations into such allegations. If the LACS has proof or evidence to support their allegation then it should be taken to the police to investigate.”

Any suspected illegal hunting activity can be reported to the league’s animal crimewatch service by clicking here, or call 01483 361108 or email on crimewatch@league.org.uk