A bid to ban trail hunting on National Trust land - including much of the Lake District - has been defeated by just a small majority.

National Trust members have narrowly voted down a proposal to ban legal "trail hunting" on the organisation's land.

Members who put forward the resolution called on the trust not to permit trail hunting, in which a scent is laid for hounds and the hunt to follow.

During the charity's annual general meeting in Swindon, Wiltshire, they said the practise is allowing illegal hunting of foxes, deer and other animals with dogs.

Those opposing the proposal said hunts were working within the law, and claimed the charity was being used "as a political football".

The charity's board of trustees brought in new measures for licencing legal hunts - including forbidding laying fox-based scenes - in August.

In total, 30,686 members voted for the proposal to ban trail hunting, while 30,985 voted against - a difference of just 299 votes.

There were 1,925 abstentions from the vote.

Results of the vote will be considered by the trustees of the charity at a meeting in November.

Much of the Lake District is owned by the National Trust, the UK's largest private landowner.

Although fox hunting was banned in 2004, figures show there are still almost 200 packs participating in “trail hunting”.

Last year, according to the National Trust, they issued trail hunting licences to six Cumbrian hunts including Blencathra Foxhounds, Coniston Foxhounds, The Eskdale and Ennerdale Foxhounds, Melbreak Foxhounds, North Lonsdale Foxhounds and The Ullswater Foxhounds.

Since the ban on hunting with dogs came into force in 2005, the National Trust has licensed legal trail hunting on its land as one of number of activities it allows.

Anti-hunt campaigners groaned as the vote was announced at the annual general meeting.

A spokesman for the National Trust said: "Prior to the vote, the charity's board of trustees had recommended that the activity should be allowed to continue after recent improvements in licensing conditions to further safeguard conservation and access on the Trust's land.

"The conservation charity has been carefully listening to both sides of a highly polarised and passionate debate for years.

"We are pleased members have had the opportunity to debate this issue and have voted to support the Trustees' position."

Helen Beynon said she started the motion with other National Trust members after witnessing hunts claiming to follow trails but actually chasing animals.

"I believe the only reason our motion has failed is because most National Trust members haven't seen it with their own eyes," she said.

"If they'd have seen what I've seen, then I have no doubt they would have voted with us.

"I was surprised, that despite all the evidence available to the National Trust Trustees, and the fact that we were given no opportunity to respond to the terms of any new licence, they advised members to vote against our proposal.

"By doing this, they have led people to believe that there is no problem. But there is a problem, hunts will now be able to continue their barbaric hobby on land which is meant to be protected for people and animals.

"It's disgraceful, and the National Trust should be ashamed."

Philippa King, acting chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, described the vote as "a massive backward step for justice and a shot in the arm for cruelty".

The organisation claimed the National Trust was given discretionary votes by some members, which it used to vote against the motion.

It said that without the discretionary votes, the number of votes for the motion to ban trail hunting was greater than those who voted against it.

"The fact that more people actually voted to ban trail hunting than voted not to is very telling and we are extremely proud of that," Ms King said.

"But the vote was lost because the National Trust decided to ignore the popular vote and side with the pro-hunt lobby.

"This is both sad and very worrying and we hope that the Trust will have taken on board and listened very carefully to the points made by members."

"This was not an attempt to kill off 'tradition', it was an attempt to stop the killing of animals for fun," Ms King added.

Polly Portwin, head of hunting at the Countryside Alliance, slammed the resolution as "ill-informed, unnecessary" and a waste of money.

"In the end, despite months of campaigning by animal rights charities less than one per cent of the Trust's membership could be persuaded to support a ban on trail-hunting," she said.

"After a very lively AGM and long campaign we are delighted that the motion put forward has been defeated and that the Trust's board advised members to vote against it.

"Hunting remains an important element of the rural community and it is good news that hunts will continue to be able to access National Trust land as they have done for generations."

Baroness Ann Mallalieu, president of the Countryside Alliance and a National Trust member, said the Trust should adopt a "firm and consistent" policy to permit lawful activities.

"Then at last the pro and anti-badger cullers, the anti-hunt lobby, the vegan anti livestock farmers and the Countryside Alliance can argue out their issues without the Trust being diverted from its proper job," she said.