END the cruel cull now.

Those were the words adorning banners when more than 100 people turned out in Winchester to march against badger culls being carried out across the country.

Despite the wet weather, people flocked to Abbey Gardens at The Broadway to begin their two-mile parade as police stopped traffic to let them pass.

Among them was Hampshire TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham who said: “I’m very pleased to come here because it’s in my own part of the country.

“We don’t have any badger culls in this part of the world but it’s important to reflect the public’s view and it’s equally important to do this here as it is anywhere else.

“It’s important we engage with the public in terms of developing their sincerity for wildlife and the environment. If we don’t look after it, it’s going to harm us.”