FOX-HUNTING protesters and staff from a York shop have staged a hunt in Coney Street ahead of the police commissioner elections.

Lush staff – supported by the Hunt Saboteurs Association – dressed as foxes and animal rights protesters were chased around by staff members dressed as police officers.

A spokesman for Lush said the protest was intended to dramatise the public perception that police will turn a blind eye to wildlife crime, while surveying and intimidating animal rights, environmental and peace activists.

He said the police commissioner elections had provoked controversy as the elected candidates will have unprecedented power over police funding and priorities, yet there have been predictions that fewer than 15 per cent of the electorate will vote.

Hilary Jones, ethics director for Lush Limited, said: “In the past, Lush has had talks with the police and animal charities over the issues of wildlife crime and how we could help support the efforts of the Police Wildlife Crime Unit.

“We were very shocked when we discovered how low their budget is to police the whole of the UK. So you can imagine our surprise when the scandal broke last year regarding undercover police operations in the environmental and animal protest movement and we learned of the huge allocation of money to that operation.”