Wildlife expert Chris Packham has offered himself human quarry for a hunt in a bid to stop foxes "being torn to pieces".

The Springwatch presenter suggested he run through Hampshire's New Forest pursued by hunting hounds and riders on horseback rather than them following a pre-laid scent.

Mr Packham urged his local hunt, the New Forest Hounds (NFH), to switch to drag hunting, which involves dog tracking either a human runner or chemical scent, claiming their 'trail hunting' can still end with foxes being killed.

However, the 250-year-old hunt group declined his offer, saying it would be impractical for their dogs.

Labour outlawed hunting foxes with dogs in 2004, causing NFH and other hunts to turn to trail hunting in which hounds chase an artificial scent, but critics believe the sport can still result in hunts chasing a fox accidentally or deliberately.

Mr Packham, 57, visited the hunt at Linwood, near Ringwood, Hants, on New Year's Day, to appeal to them to change and has now offered to be their first human quarry for the dogs to chase, if the group will switch to drag hunting.

He said: “Foxhunting is a highly emotive activity which has no place in the contemporary environment - and everyone knows that.