A REDDITCH environmentalist and member of the Green Party has accused town MP Karen Lumley of having “blood on her hands” for voting in favour of the badger cull.

The controversial cull of badgers was launched in August to try to stop the spread of tuberculosis (TB) in English cattle.

Critics of the cull said it would not be effective and vowed to stop what they're calling the slaughter of badgers.

Extensions to the cull are now being considered after marksmen failed to kill enough badgers in some areas to reach their original targets.

Environmentalist Kevin White said: “Now the barbaric, waste of innocent life that is the trial badger cull has supposedly come to an end, they say they haven't killed 'enough' in the target zones and need a three week extension.

“It seems they wish to totally wipe out a much loved, native, protected species in the trial areas.

“And all for what? Supposedly to control TB in cattle, yet it's been proven the cull will have very little impact and may even make the situation worse.

“Shame on Karen Lumley for voting in favour of this murder of sentient wildlife in our countryside, she truly has blood on her hands.”

In reposnose, Mrs Lumley said: “Bovine TB is a serious disease and its incidence has been increasing steadily since the 1980s with the number of new cases doubling every nine years. In the last 10 years the disease has cost the taxpayer £500 million.

“This Government is committed to tackling the disease in all reservoirs and by all available means. Our cattle industry and the countryside deserve no less, not least local farmers whose livelihoods are badly suffering.” 

She added: "The Government is doing all we can to push forward the introduction of a vaccine but EU laws are holding us back and we have to follow the lead of countries such as Ireland who have reduced devastating TB through the culling of diseased wildlife.”