Britons divided over fox hunting -- poll

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- The British public is almost evenly split on whether the government should ban fox hunting, according to a poll published in Wednesday's Times newspaper.

The survey, commissioned by pro-hunting lobby The Countryside Alliance, found 48 percent of Britons favored a ban on hunting with dogs, while 23 percent wanted a compromise solution and 25 percent thought the legislation should be dropped.

The figures will be officially announced by the alliance on Wednesday to mark the start of months of protests against plans to ban fox hunting, the paper said.

The so-called "summer of discontent" will include a huge march through London, which the group hopes will attract 500,000 supporters.

The alliance has also promised to subject ministers at the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to "consistent law-abiding protests," the Times reported.

Last month, the government shied away from outlawing the ancient sport despite overwhelming support for a ban among members of parliament.

In a statement widely derided as dodge of responsibility, Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael said the government would "consult" on the divisive issue for six months to "search for common ground."

The poll, carried out by NOP, surveyed 1,000 adults between March 22-24, the weekend after MPs voted in favor of banning hunting with dogs and the Lords voted to retain hunting under license.

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