A PETITION calling for a Herefordshire vicar who took part in fox hunting to be sacked has attracted almost 3,000 signatures.

The petition on change.org was set up by a Dorset anti-hunt campaigner called Kate Bradley who believes Neil Patterson should be sacked by the Church of England for taking part in meetings of the South Herefordshire Hunt.

She said the vicar hosted meetings of the hunt at his church in Weston-under-Penyard and does not believe taking part in the hunt corresponds with Christian values of love and compassion.

Kate Bradley said the Three Counties hunt saboteur group remain determined to follow and film Revd Patterson every time he hunts wearing a bowler hat and the church’s dog collar.

She added: "Campaigners view this as being an act of obscene hypocrisy and feel that highlights once again, the corrupt flaws that lie within the church system. One of those major flaws (apart from being involved with animal cruelty) is the church’s failure to properly address and log complaints."

But Annie Holden, director of communications at the Hereford diocese, said Revd Patterson is not doing anything illegal by taking part in the hunt.

She also said the photos of Revd Patterson are old pictures as last year he sold his horse and also moved to north Herefordshire, where he is director of vocations and ordinance for the diocese. She said he no longer takes part in the hunt.

Mrs Holden added: "He has not done anything illegal or anything wrong. He is entitled to go hunting- it is legal.

"Having said that, we appreciate that hunting is a divisive issue- there are no two ways about that.

"I would also like to make clear we have over 200 clergy and one of them has gone hunting in the past."

She said they cannot sack people when they have not done anything wrong.

Mrs Holden said Revd Patterson rented a piece of land from the Church Commissioners to keep his horse on, which is where the hunt met in Weston-under-Penyard.

She said the land does not belong to the local church and is rented out in the same way that anyone else could rent it in the village.

The petition online has attracted 2,900 signatures.

Since the fox hunting ban came into force in 2005, fox hunts are legally required to carry out “drag hunts”, where hounds follow a chemical trail laid across the countryside, or “trail hunts”, where the hunt’s path loops and overlaps but also follows a scent.