THE Tory candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire has hit back at claims that more than £45,000 has been pumped in to his campaign by pro-hunting businessmen.

The seat is being contested for the Conservatives by Simon Hart, a former master of foxhounds and chief executive of lobby group the Countryside Alliance which aims to overturn the hunting ban.

The seat has been held for the past 18 years by Labour's Nick Ainger, who, as a Labour whip, helped introduce the Hunting Act five years ago.

More than £45,000 has come in to local Tory coffers from businessman Johan Christofferson, a former hunt joint master in the Isle of Wight.

Donations to the constituency also include a further £2,000 from Lord Daresbury, a former chairman of the Masters of Foxhounds Association.

Mr Ainger recently said: "I think it's wrong that rich men are paying money into marginal constituencies like this one. I think that's an abuse of our democratic process."

The constituency has also been targeted by independent volunteer group Vote-OK, which is hoping to help unseat MPs who voted in favour of the hunting ban.

Commenting on the donations, Plaid candidate John Dixon said: "It's been pumped in because of who he is and his agenda."

Mr Hart responded: "The donation was made in 2007, you're not talking about a recent donation.

"The thing about elections is we have a spending limit. To my mind it's irrelevant. This was contributed some time ago and we have a limit."

He added: "I think it's extremely negative and extremely unproductive, it's an important election for many people. People want better than to nit-pick about how people raise their money.

"I'm talking to about 600 people a day and they don't want to talk about hunting, they want to talk about jobs or healthcare."

Other candidates standing are Ray Clarke, UK Independence Party; John Richard Gossage, Liberal Democrat; and Henry Langen, Independent.