I BELIEVE that the go-ahead has been given for badger culling near to the Malvern Hills.

This is to be performed by gunmen free shooting the animals and could continue for a considerable period.

Surely this is going to have an adverse impact of tourists coming to visit the area, as well as the locals visiting the hills.

All the research into culling badgers, as a way of preventing the spread of bovine TB, has proved negative.

Indeed culling badgers in this way may also spread the disease, as any badgers that survive the cull will move out of their home area into surrounding areas.

So now we are going to have shooting close to the hills, less income from tourism and if the disease spreads which it will, a bigger compensation bill to farmers.

ANDREW CARTLIDGE Malvern