Concerns about illegal fox hunting have led to a call for stricter wildlife laws.

Labour party politicians and groups are calling on the Government to tighten the Hunting Act after it emerged that hunters are flouting the law.

In a virtual meeting that was linked online, a group of hunters are shown discussing plans for an illegal hunt where they will pretend to follow a trail as per the law, but in reality kill animals.

They are seen discussing “smokescreen” tactics to appear legitimate.

Labour peer Sue Hayman commented on the video in a social media post: “It is proof of what we have been saying for years. It is time to change the law to stop the Hunting Act being broken over and over again.”

Tony Lywood, Labour councillor for Keswick told the News & Star: “If this is going on and we have clear evidence that it’s going on, the law should take its course and the people doing it should be prosecuted.

“There is a lot of talk that trail hunting is being used as a pretext for real hunting.

“Clearly the legislation is not tough enough. As a member of the Lake District National Park I’ll be pushing for this and as a county councillor as well.”

Mr Lywood is set to visit the Blencathra Foxhounds to see how trailing can be done legally using a scent trail.

Tony Locke has been a hunt monitor for 12 years and in that time he has seen both sides of the industry.

“There is proper hunt trailing which is totally legitimate," he said. "Those dogs don’t accidentally kill foxes; they follow the trail to the letter.”

Mr Locke said: “I’ve seen foxes killed, injured, I’ve seen them trying to swim in Buttermere to get away from the packs.”

Some hunts are operating under the pretence that kills happen by accident while they follow a scent trail, he believes.

He said: “There needs to be much tougher laws, it’s just too easy to say it was an accidental kill, we believe that’s the intention."

It is Mr Locke’s role to observe and report at hunts, taking video evidence of illegal fox hunting to be passed to the police and local authority if necessary.

Mr Locke said: “It’s such a difficult crime to prove, even when it goes to court the prosecutions are so weak.

"Why are those dogs doing that if they aren’t trained to do that?”