The countryside is heading for civil war over the Government's decision to ban hunting, the shadow Rural Affairs Minister has warned. Owen Paterson, MP for North Shropshire, said anger in rural communities was reaching boiling point as people became increasingly frustrated by a lack of Government understanding about the countryside. During a visit to the Southwest, Mr Paterson spoke to communities which plan to stage civil actions in frustration at the Government's decision to push through a bill on hunting. The Conservative MP, who described the current state of the countryside as "grim", said he was extremely worried about its future under a Labour government. The loss of rural post offices, shops and health care was of deep concern as was the spiralling cases of bovine TB, which has cost the Government £2 billion in the past ten years. Speaking to The Birmingham Post, he said: "It is quite dismal in the South-west, where there are real fears about what action people are going to take. "It is like when Charles I lost control of the country - if central Government continues to flatly refuse to listen then the basic function of democracy breaks down. "All sorts of threats are being made. There is talk of civil action, which I entirely deplore, but desperate people resort to desperate measures." Mr Paterson would not clarify what actions had been threatened, but added: "I was alarmed by the mood." His claims were backed by Penny Plath, a member of the Countryside Alliance, the Countryside Action Network, the Union of Country Sports Workers and the Free Church of Country Sports, who carried out a blessing of hounds at her farm in Pershore, Worcestershire, on Sunday. She said: "There are very serious threats of civil disobedience. "People are talking about cutting down power lines, poisoning water supplies, and blocking up roads. We are talking civil war. "There has been talk of civil unrest for a long time. "We are absolutely distraught saying please don't do this, it is not going to help our cause if people's lives get disrupted or people get hurt." Pro-hunt campaigners have stepped up their protests in recent weeks, with plans to target the homes of environment ministers. Yesterday hunt supporters lobbied Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott during a visit to Rugby, Warwickshire. Last week, a fox was discovered wondering the corridors of Portcullis House next door to Westminster, where many MPs have offices. And Peter Hain, the Leader of the House of Commons, was pelted with eggs by pro-hunt protesters while speaking in Oxford. Mr Paterson, who grew up in a farming community in Whitchurch, Shropshire, said the Government had little understanding of rural life and criticised its decision to ban hunting. "The Government is making a complete mess of the countryside," he said. "Alun Michael doesn't understand what the hell is going on. There is a massive problem with a shortage of dentists, shops, post offices." "It is grim now but I am fairly worried what it will be like if Labour wins the next election." Speaking about the hunting ban, he said: "The Government doesn't realise what it has taken on. How can we have a democracy if the majority uses its power over a minority?" Campaigners from the West Midlands are planning to lobby Prime Minister Tony Blair by staging protests outside Downing Street later this month. | 
