SOUTHAMPTON-born wildlife presenter Chris Packham has called for parents to have fewer children - saying smaller families should be rewarded with tax breaks.

The Autumnwatch and Springwatch star also suggested, in an interview with the Radio Times, that parents had no excuse not to cook their offspring ''a proper meal''.

Packham, 49, a former pupil of Bitterne Park Secondary School and Taunton's College, said: ''I read the other day that, by 2020, there are going to be 70 million people in Britain. Let's face it, that's too many.''

He said it was ''absolutely'' right to get people to have fewer children, but added: ''I wouldn't actually penalise people for having too many children, as I think the carrot always works better than the stick.

''But I would offer them tax breaks for having small families, say, ten per cent off your tax bill if you decide to stick with just one child. And an even bigger financial incentive if you choose not to have a family at all.''

Packham, who has a 16-year-old stepdaughter who lives with his ex-partner, is a patron of charity Population Matters, formerly known as Optimum Population Trust, which seeks to limit numbers in the UK.

Packham, who has a degree in zoology from the University of Southampton, previously sparked controversy when he questioned the millions spent trying to save the giant panda from extinction.