A TOTAL of 217 badgers were killed in Somerset in the past three months as part of this year's Government-backed badger cull.

The controversial cull has been rolled out to five new areas and the total number of badgers killed in England has risen dramatically to more than 10,000 - more than seven times the number put down in 2015's cull.

The badger cull is part of the Government's 25 tear strategy to eradicate bovine TB from the UK, which costs the farming industry millions each year.

However animal rights campaigners say the cull is 'cruel and inhumane' and say the science doesn't back culling as an effective method of reducing the disease.

The Government is set to apply for Officially TB Free (OTF) status for more than half the country next year, with Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom saying the Government's strategy is delivering results.

Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: "Gaining global recognition that more than half of England is TB-free will be a significant milestone in our long-term plan to eradicate this devastating disease, and will open up new trading opportunities for farmers.

"We have much still to do in the worst affected parts of the country, but this shows that our strategy - combining practical biosecurity measures, a robust cattle movement and testing regime, and badger control in areas where the disease is rife - is right and is working."

However chief executive of the Badger Trust, Dominic Dyer, said rather than shooting badgers, more should be done to deal with 'inaccurate TB testing, excessive numbers of cattle movements and poor biosecurity controls'.

We could kill every badger in England but bovine TB would continue to spread in cattle herds due to inaccurate TB testing, excessive numbers of cattle movements and poor biosecurity controls,” said Dominic Dyer, the chief executive of the Badger Trust. “The badger is being used as a scapegoat for failures in the modern intensive livestock industry that have led to a significant increase in bovine TB.”