SUPPORTERS of all ages signed an anti-hunting petition when campaigners arrived in York.

The Banner For A Ban campaign is being run by the RSPCA, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the League Against Cruel Sports.

They are collecting pledges, signed on forms showing the faces of fox, deer, hare and mink, which will be attached to giant banners to show the strength of feeling against hunting.

The campaigners arrived in Parliament Street in a campaign truck showing the signatures already collected from celebrities, politicians and members of the public.

Lisa Dewhurst, of the RSPCA, said: "People are coming up and saying they can't believe hunting has not been banned. Some say they voted Labour because they thought they were going to ban it."

She said there had been a "very, very positive response" in York despite it being so close to big hunting areas in North Yorkshire.

"In areas where there are a lot of hunts, a lot of people feel very strongly against hunting, we've done extremely well in areas like this - lots of country people just don't like hunting.

"We're not saying they should give up hunting, we're just saying they shouldn't kill animals. They can retain all the tradition and the social side of it with drag hunting."

Liam Slattery, from the League Against Cruel Sports, said the campaign had been travelling round the country for five weeks and had already collected more than 250,000 signatures.

Updated: 11:17 Monday, August 26, 2002