An attempt to ban hunting in Scotland has been set back by a committee of MSPs which refused to back a proposed bill.

The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill being promoted by the Labour MSP Mike Watson became the first bill in the Scottish parliament to fail to receive the backing of a parliamentary committee.

The report of the parliament's Rural Development Committee questioned whether the proposed ban would succeed in ending cruelty to the animals involved, calling the evidence "inconclusive".