BADGER culling is set to resume in Gloucestershire after the go-ahead was given by Natural England for another pilot.

The government body have issued letters of authorisation to allow the shooting of the perceived pest, stipulating that between 615 and 1091 badgers must be shot in the county, with up to 785 also needing to be shot in Somerset.

As part of the pilot cull last year, 921 badgers were killed in Gloucestershire and 940 in Somerset in a bid to tackle Tuberculosis in cattle.

It is not yet known when the companies carrying out the cull will start this year but the four-year pilot aims to kill at least 70 per cent of the badger population.

Last year’s cull was abandoned in Gloucestershire after it failed to come close to its target, with Somerset also failing to reach its target despite a three-week extension.

A number of arrests and general unrest was caused last year by the cull, with protestors and cull operators accusing the other side of illegal activity.