Balaclavas, steel pipes and thugs. The ugly face of the Tory Party?

The National Trust has complained to a hunt in Dorset accusing them of twice damaging an Iron Age hill fort.

The accused – the Portman Hunt — is infamous for particularly thuggish behaviour, as the above portraits of their local hunt supporters yobs in action show.

The hooligans seem to think they can ride roughshod over whatever they want – trampling over national parks and protected ancient monuments.

But the Portman Hunt has friends in very high places. The local Tory MP — Simon Hoare — is a big supporter of local hunts and hunting in general.

Not that Hoare would be bothered by anyone riding roughshod over undeveloped land anyway. Before he became a Tory MP in 2015, Simon was involved in a scandal as a property developer for lobbying Tory MPs to allow his company to build on green belt land.

So he knows all about riding roughshod over our national natural treasures.

But the Portman Hunt annual ball is also attended by other leading Tories, including Tory peer Lord Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes.

And Cameron himself has also openly acknowledged the support the Tories get from hunters by personally sending thank-you texts to fox hunters for helping him win the election:

David Cameron thanks fox hunters for helping him win election in celebratory text message

So don’t go expecting any prosecutions any time soon.