A BENTLEY pro-hunt campaigner has described how he was struck across the head by "incredibly heavy-handed" policemen at last week's protest in London.

Simon Harrap, 64, a joint master of the Hampshire Hunt, had travelled to the capital last Wednesday to object to the government's plans to ban hunting with dogs.

Having arrived in London with his wife, Diana, at around midday, the couple listened to "very peaceful" speeches in Parliament Square, before going in search of a sandwich at 2 pm.

On their return, they went across to the Westminster side of the square where there "was a bit of a melee".

"We went down to look and talk to the police for about five minutes," Mr Harrap said. "They were very friendly - and then there was a rush behind us and we were pushed forward to the police. As a result, I think it's fair to say, the police were pushed back onto their vans.

"They then regrouped and decided to regain the ground that they felt they'd lost - and I think slightly over-reacted."

He recalls the police, who only moments before had been "perfectly amicable", swinging their truncheons "with considerable force" as they pushed the crowd back.

Mr Harrap was struck across the top of the head, suffering an inch-and-half-long gash that, while superficial, bled profusely.

"I think that the police could have achieved what they wanted to achieve without the strength," he said. "But obviously they had orders to go in hard, and they went in hard. It didn't matter who was in the way."

Thankfully, his wife had been pushed away from the three-man-deep police line as the violence began, and so escaped injury.

Despite claims by the media that the crowd had been drawn into conflict with the police by right-wing agitators, the huntmaster is adamant that the proceedings were relatively peaceful on the part of the rural contingent. Apart from a few "smoke-bombs" hurled at police vehicles, he did not witness anyone, be they members of the National Front or over-zealous pro-hunt protesters, throwing missiles.

However, he added: "We left at about 4-30 pm, and I believe that there was agitation after that."

Mr Harrap believes that a ban would be a disaster for the rural community if it comes into effect in 2006. He strongly argues that it would create a growing problem with foxes, which are known to kill farm animals and cannot be kept under control by either gassing, shooting or trapping, methods more painful and lengthy than hunting with hounds.

Of course, the main fear among rural people whose livelihoods depend on hunting is how the new law will affect them financially.

Mr Harrap said that it is not people like himself and the two other masters of the Hampshire Hunt, who are not paid for their services but "do it for the love" of the sport, who will suffer most.

"The main people who will lose their jobs will be the hunt staff, and the various livery yards, which are almost wholly entirely dependent on hunting as opposed to show jumping or racing or something else," he said.

Other tradesmen who will suffer if the ban is enacted include blacksmiths, hay- and corn-merchants, vets and suppliers of equestrian equipment. Some figures put the number of those who will be directly or indirectly financially affected by the ban at more than 30,000, but certain anti-hunt campaigners put this figure at as little as 1,000.

Farmers will also lose a valuable service, Mr Harrap claimed. Dead farm animals that have traditionally been collected free by hunt staff, who then feed them to their hounds, will now have to be collected and incinerated at great cost to the land owner.

Mr Harrap, a retired insurance broker who farms part-time, will himself lose six of his eight horses because of the financial restrictions a ban would place on the feeding of hunt animals, whose food is paid for by money derived from hunt subscriptions and donations.

Describing the proposed legislation as "a backbench hijack", he said: "The countryside feels that they have been misled. They were promised a thorough review of hunting, from a cruelty aspect and every other aspect.

"The Burns Report was commissioned, which was read by probably a handful of MPs.

"It did not condemn hunting in any way and specifically said that hunting is no more cruel than any other fox-disposal methods."

He said that the rural affairs minister, Alun Michael, had previously told his backbenchers that a regulated system of fox hunting was the only tenable option open to the government and that a complete ban was "unworkable".

"He has now not only brought a Bill that he said was unworkable, but is threatening to use the Parliament Act to push it through," Mr Harrap said.

A spokeswoman for the NFU this week expressed her organisation's dismay at the plans, saying that a total ban on hunting would be detrimental to the farming community and also to "both wild and farm animals".

"Fox hunting is a legitimate form of pest control and there will be new costs in the disposal of fallen stock," she said, pointing out that dead farm animals are not allowed by law to be buried on farmers' land.

"We would have preferred a licence-system and a middle way, as was being proposed," she continued. "Not all farmers take part in hunts, but the majority of our members will be sorry to see it go."

The MP for North-East Hants, James Arbuthnot, was reported as saying last week that "the main motivation behind the government's desperation to ban hunting is a mix of envy and class-driven politics."

Michael Mates, MP for East Hants, was unavailable for comment.