The BBC has released film footage which appears to show fox cubs being put into the kennels of hunting hounds at the South Herefordshire Hunt kennels.

Police are investigating the film and two people were arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty in connection with the investigation earlier this month.

West Mercia Police questioned a 37-year-old man and a woman, aged 27, about suspected cruelty to foxes.

The hunt’s kennels in Wormelow, near Hereford, have been closed and all horses and hounds moved elsewhere.

The video was taken with hidden cameras positioned outside the kennels by The Hunt Investigation Team, which campaigns against fox hunting, The film allegedly appears to show live fox cubs being put with hounds, which then kill them.

West Mercia Police says the investigation is continuing. The man and the woman have since been released on bail. The RSPCA said it is helping the police with its investigation.

The Masters of Foxhounds Association said an independent inquiry, led by former Court of Appeal judge Sir John Chadwick, would take place into ‘conduct which suggests breaches of the association’s rules’.