Boxing Day hunt meets across East Anglia were outfoxed by the weather today.

But thousands still turned out to greet the hounds, as it emerged 2011 is unlikely to see a repeal of the Hunting Act, which became law in 2005.

Some 2,000 people turned out at Bungay to see the Waveney Harriers, where hunt staff paraded their hounds on foot.

'Unfortunately because the ground is so hard it would be dangerous to take the horses out,' said joint-master Dominoc Parravani.

'It is just one of those things, the horses haven't hunted for four weeks and would also be rather fresh to take into town.

'We always have a huge show of support from the town and the local area and we needed to put on a show for them.'

Hundreds more braved the cold for the West Norfolk Foxhounds meet at Fakenham Racecourse.

Field master Peter Wilcox said: 'It's bitterly cold, it's too hard to hunt. The horses wouldn't last five minutes, the hounds' feet would get cut to shreds.

'But what would Boxing Day be without coming out to see the hounds.'

Can politicians run with the fox and hunt with the hounds..? See tomorrow's EDP.