ANIMAL rights activists released 7,000 mink from pens on a breeding farm in the early hours of yesterday, sparking a major environmental alert.

Most of the animals were let loose but remained within the farm compound at the village of Onneley, Staffs, but about 2,000 are thought to have escaped into the countryside on the Staffordshire-Shropshire border.

Police issued a warning to parents of young children to keep their doors and windows shut. The RSPCA said mink were not dangerous to humans but look deceptively cuddly and could give a nasty bite.

Some mink were shot as they tried to make off across the fields, some were run over by cars and others were chased and grabbed by farmworkers with thick gloves and put into plastic barrels for return to their pens. Last night Nick Brown, the Agriculture Minister, said that an "emergency team" of four mink-catchers, armed with nets and cages, had been sent to the area to help with the round-up.

At £15 a head, the loss of 2,000 animals would cost the insurance company of the farmer, Len Kelsall, 60, about £30,000. His wife, Mary, said: "If only these so-called animal-lovers could see these poor little creatures now. They have only known captivity and they are terrified. They are used to regular meals of chicken and fish and they have never had to hunt for themselves. In the wild, most will die of starvation and cold."

It is the survivors that are causing concern to environmentalists. Nick Mott, otter and water vole protection officer for the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, said: "A hungry mink is a very efficient predator. It is a serious situation for local wildlife." Mink can cover about 10 miles a day and are good swimmers and fishers. They tend to follow water courses, said Mr Mott. Onneley village is equidistant from the Upper Severn, the River Weaver catchment area and the Upper Trent.

The alarm was raised when mink scampered to a nearby house where Amanda Bedson, 27, runs a small animal sanctuary. Mrs Bedson's dogs began barking and she looked out of her bedroom window to see a "sea of brown fur" in the lane. Mrs Bedson lives with her mother, Sheila Keeling, and 14-month-old daughter, Neive. The mink set upon three farm cats, killing two of them, and tried to get into the house. Mrs Bedson said: "Amanda was screaming her head off because she could hear them scratching at her door. I did not dare set foot outside because they were everywhere."

Mr Kelsall blamed Elliot Morley, the countryside minister, for encouraging animal rights extremists to break the law with his criticism of the industry. Mr Kelsall, chairman of the National Fur Breeders' Association and one of 10 mink farmers in Britain, said unfulfilled pledges by the Labour Party to end fur farming had frustrated activists and persuaded them that militant action will pay off.

In a speech in July, Mr Morley reaffirmed the Government's commitment to getting rid of fur farms. He is convinced that the public finds the industry unacceptable but finding the parliamentary time for legislation is a problem.

Mr Kelsall said such talk gave the green light to activists. "We are dealing with people who have a terrorist mentality. They come in combat gear and with balaclavas over their faces. Their methods are cruel to the animals they claim to want to help. The Government says it considers fur farming unacceptable. So why doesn't it act and compensate those it wants to put out of business?"