Hunting with hounds could still take place in the South West, even if fox and stag hunting is banned.

A report put before the committee stage of the governments' Hunting Bill has concluded hounds may be the only way to deal with wild mink.

It argues there is a strong case for allowing mink hunting to continue as a form of pest control as mink were unscathed in areas where traps were laid for them.

The League Against Cruel Sports has said it considers the hunting of wild mammals with hounds a cruel and unnecessary sport with no place in modern Britain.

MINK FACTS

Originally imported from America in the 1920s for fur farms Some mink escaped and others were released by animal rights activists Adult males weigh 1.2 kg and are 60cm long Females weigh 0.8kg and are 50cm long Mainly nocturnal animals that usually live near water

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The research presented to the committee by Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael was carried out in the Outer Hebrides where a government and European Union-funded live trapping project was under way.

Despite being alien to Britain, mink have lived in the wild since the 1960s.

They were brought from America to be bred for the fur trade but were released or escaped from mink farms which were no longer commercially viable.

They are considered to be pests by some because they prey on other animals during vulnerable times, such as fish at spawning time, birds at nesting time and fledglings, as well as poultry.

Mink have also been blamed for the decline of the water vole in Britain.

In Devon and Cornwall, there are currently two packs of mink hounds operating: the Devon and Cornwall Mink Hounds and the Culmstock Mink Hounds.