LAST week the House of Commons voted by a large majority to ban hunting with dogs.

The law is expected to come into force in 18 months' time after the government decided to use the Parliament Act to ensure it is not scuppered by the Hosue of Lords.

Opponents say that will signal the death knell for hundreds of years of countryside tradition. Those who are against fox-hunting say it is about time the government lived up to its pre-election pledges on the issue.

The move has provoked fury in rural Gwent communities like those in Monmouthshire, and promises to be an explosive issue in the run-up to the general election.

Despite his rural constituency, Monmouth MP Huw Edwards has been consistently opposed to hunting for many years.

He said: "Hunting has always been a big issue. Over the years it's been the single biggest postbag I've ever had.

"And the majority of people who have contacted me have been in favour of a ban.

"My line is that it's morally wrong to hunt animals with dogs for the purposes of sport.

"I have spoken to the hunt supporters in Monmouthshire and explained my position. They were very courteous.

"The argument about fox control I'm very willing to support, but if they need to be controlled I'm not sure that the Hunt doing it on a Saturday morning is the best way. Their primary purpose is not to keep foxes down.

"I voted for the Bill and the ban, and for the amendment to introduce the ban in 2006.

"I represent a rural area and the vast majority of people think it's wrong, so I voted accordingly.

"People have a right to protest outside the Houses of Parliament - I've done it myself. But some people were trying to do more than peacefully protest and some succeeded in entering the House.

"I wasn't in the House when the disturbances took place. That was disgraceful and it's got to be investigated.

"The bill will now go to the Lords and they should pass it. If they throw it out again, then I think the government is committed to using the Parliament Act.

"I don't think that a ban will have any significant effect at all on the rural economy."

Monmouthshire AM David Davies stands on the other side of the divide - and will stand against Mr Edwards in the Monmouth constituency at the next general election.

"First of all, people have got to understand this isn't about banning fox-hunting - it's merely about banning hunting of foxes with dogs. They are still going to be killed in some way," he said.

"The government expects farmers to keep down the fox population - it's not possible to farm economically if they don't. It makes it more likely that foxes will be snared, gassed or shot instead.

"People are under the impression that hunting with dogs is cruel and inhumane, but studies have shown that dogs almost always kill the fox in seconds by breaking its neck.

"Why is it that nobody is concerned about the ritual slaughtering of animals?

"To create halal meat for Moslems, the sheep or goat is hung upside and has its throat cut without being stunned.

"I respect other peoples' traditions, and believe that in a complex democracy, containing lots of different groups, you have to give a greater weight to the traditions of a minority, whether the majority thinks it is right or wrong.

"I want the government to extend the same right to those who live in my constituency. Fox-hunting is as much a part of tradition as halal meat.

"Hunting is responsible for 6,000-8,000 jobs across the country - that may not seem a lot, but that's small comfort to those who face losing their homes and livelihoods."

* HUNT master Alan Hayes says he is prepared to go to prison to defy a hunting ban set to come into force in 18 months.

The master of the Monmouthshire hunt, who was at last Wednesday's pro-hunting protest in Parliament Square along with 70 fellow pro-hunt supporters from Gwent, says he is prepared to "face the consequences" of breaking the law.

Mr Hayes, a 67-year-old farmer from Brynderi, Abergavenny, said: "I consider myself to be an upstanding, law-abiding member of society - I have never done anything like this in my life.

"I feel angry like so many people about the way the government have pushed the Bill through. It seems unprecedented - the more I learn about the way parliament should work, and the way they are using it, the angrier I feel.

"I am prepared to go to prison for what I believe in, and there are a great many others who feel the same."