POLICE say a date for the badger cull to begin in West Somerset has not been set.
During a forum meeting on Tuesday (June 25), Avon and Somerset Police chief constable Nick Gargan suggested it would begin in August.
But last night the force issued a statement saying the cop boss' mention of August was "indicative of a start during the summer rather than a specific date".
Ch Con Gargan said: "My comment at the public forum was broadly indicative of the timing for the cull in Somerset.
"At the moment, we don't know when it will start, other than sometime during the summer months."
The controversial cull was given the go-ahead last year and a licence to start shooting badgers came into effect on June 1.
Around 5,000 badgers are due to be killed in West Somerset and Gloucestershire and once the cull begins the licence requires it to take place over a six-week period.
It is part of a plan to reduce the spread of bovine TB in cattle.
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