Anti-bloodsports campaigners were celebrating after MPs voted for a total ban on hunting foxes with dogs in England and Wales.

Members supported an outright ban by an overwhelming majority of 208 in the House of Commons last night after an impassioned five-and-a-half-hour debate as demonstrators from both camps protested outside Parliament.

Hundreds of pairs of pants were strung on washing lines around Parliament Square on June 30 as women from across Oxfordshire joined a vigil during the third reading of the Hunting Bill.

MPs were expected to vote for a ban on hare coursing and deer hunting and a licensing system for fox-hunting, which would only allow hunts in certain areas.

Instead they voted for a total ban. The bill will face a fourth reading in the Commons before it goes to the House of Lords.

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith was the only one of the county's MPs to vote for a total ban on hunting.

He said: "It's what I believe and I'm sure that it's the overwhelming view of my constituents.

"The House of Lords should now accept the will of the Commons as the elected chamber, but if it doesn't, the Parliament Act should be used."

The act can be used to ensure the views of the Commons prevail over opposition in the unelected Lords.

Oxford West and Abingdon Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris voted against a complete hunting ban, as did Conservatives Tony Baldry (Banbury), David Cameron (Witney) and Boris Johnson (Henley). Wantage's Tory MP Robert Jackson did not vote.

Mr Cameron said: "The Government canned its own amendments and has gone on an argument based on prejudice and misunderstanding. It's quite chaotic and there could be many jobs lost because of this decision."

But Phyllis Campbell- McRae, of the Campaign to Protect Hunted Animals, said: "The cruelty of hunting with dogs is unacceptable in modern society and this vote means the House of Commons has signalled a total end to this barbaric activity."

Tonya Wood, a joint master of the Chipping Norton-based Heythrop Hunt, said: "We cannot allow prejudiced MPs to ignore the damage they will do to our families with this unfair and unprincipled legislation."

Sue Adams, the wife of the Heythrop huntsman Anthony Adams, said: "It's not just jobs that rely on hunting but also the homes of real families like mine which are owned by the hunt my husband works for."