Animal lovers marched through Brighton yesterday in protest against badger culling.

The peaceful protest, organised by the South Downs Badger Protection Group and Care for the Wild charity, saw hundreds of campaigners marching against Government plans to cull the animals to help control bovine tuberculosis.

Campaigners started their march outside Brighton’s Theatre Royal in New Road at midday.

The protest included a speech from Care for the Wild’s Dominic Dyer and had the backing of legendary guitarist Brian May and the stars of TV series Bodger and Badger.

Mr Dyer said: “I’ve worked in the farming industry all my life, and this is the worst agricultural policy I’ve seen in 30 years. I’m sympathetic to farmers, but culling badgers simply won’t work.

“Environment minister Owen Paterson recently explained the reason the cull was failing was because the ‘badgers have moved the goalposts’.

“But I’ve travelled around the country to events like this, and the British people are saying it’s time to blow the final whistle on this barbaric cull.”