Lancaster estate cleared of animal cruelty allegations made by campaign group

Keep the Ban, a group that calls for the end of hunting animals for sport, had reported Leighton Hall to both the police and RSPCA after they said they visited the estate in September and witnessed "disturbing scenes" of animal cruelty.

They released distressing video footage on their website and also wrote an open letter to Leighton Hall bosses, in which they described their investigators allegedly filming at Leighton Hall’s pheasant pens, and say their "highly experienced campaigners" described it as "some of the most disturbing and upsetting they have ever seen".

"I urge you to commit to ending pheasant shooting on your estate with immediate effect. Immediate action which shows respect for animals, the environment and sustainability is the only appropriate response to this situation.”

Keep the Ban forwarded their footage to Lancashire Police and the RSPCA, who jointly attended Leighton Hall to conduct an investigation, which cleared them of any offences.

Lancashire Police said: "We conducted a joint visit with the RSPCA. No offences have been committed and no further action taken."

An RSPCA spokesman added: "We are aware of this upsetting footage and an officer visited the site soon after it had been reported to us but did not find any of the birds from the footage.

“The RSPCA is opposed to shooting for sport, but where game birds are reared or kept for breeding, they must always have access to appropriate facilities, including clean food and water and shelter.

"They should also be kept in such a way to minimise pecking injuries, and not kept in any type of cage and be provided with sufficient space and enrichment.

"Defra is responsible for the code of practice to protect the welfare of game birds when they are being reared and we have referred this issue to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)."

APHA, an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), said they do not comment on individual investigations.

Leighton Hall have said they do not wish to comment on the issue.