THE county's Liberal Democrats have joined calls not to allow badger culling in Oxfordshire.

It comes after Oxford City Council took a firm stance against the practice following leaked documents revealing up to 2,223 animals locally could be killed this year.

Chair of the Oxfordshire Lib Dem county group, councillor Bob Johnson, said it was 'expensive and inefficient' adding: "Oxfordshire has the Badger Group who have offered free vaccinations to landowners.

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"Why would we want to resort to killing animals when we have an alternative on offer for free?”

The Lib Dem Deputy County Group Leader, Cllr Liz Leffman, added: “There is little evidence that badger culling has achieved anything useful, and in fact may have exacerbated the spread of TB among cattle.

"Vaccination of badgers has been pioneered in other areas and we should be looking to do that in Oxfordshire rather than extending the inhumane badger cull.”