THE Berwickshire Hunt will not attend the Haddington Show in the wake of “threats on social media”.

A decision by United East Lothian Agricultural Society, which organises the annual show, to invite the group had sparked a number of complaints.

Last week, show organisers had refused to confirm whether the Berwickshire Hunt would still be attending the agricultural showcase, which takes place on June 30 at East Fortune.

However, the Berwickshire Hunt this week sent a letter to the Courier to confirm that it would not be attending the show, which dates back to 1804.

Simon Winpenny, the group’s secretary, said: “I have to announce that unfortunately, due to threats on social media, visitors to Haddington Show will not have the pleasure of seeing the hounds at this year’s show.

"I can understand the viewpoint that we should not give in to this sort behaviour but we have a duty of care to protect visitors, staff and our hounds.

"My apologies once again and I hope that the country show visitors will get the opportunity over the summer to see hounds at other shows."

The exact nature of the threats have not been made public. It is understood no complaint has been made to police.