SIR – October 1 is the start of the pheasant shooting season. If you visit the countryside around Welwyn Hatfield over the next four months you may well get caught behind a line of Range Rovers filled with men dressed for a day out shooting. These men

SIR - October 1 is the start of the pheasant shooting season.

If you visit the countryside around Welwyn Hatfield over the next four months you may well get caught behind a line of Range Rovers filled with men dressed for a day out shooting.

These men will have paid hundreds of pounds, up to £1,000, to spend a day shooting innocent, rather stupid and beautiful birds out of the sky.

Pheasants are not very keen on flying, but will have taken to the air because 'beaters', men with sticks, frighten them off the ground so they fly up and are shot down by men with guns ready and waiting for them.

Over 40 million pheasants and partridges are bred for shooting each year in the UK.

Most of their bodies will be dumped.

Less than 10 per cent will be used for food. What a terrible, pointless and wasteful slaughter.

And this goes on every year. Birds bred for the amusement of rich businessmen.

I suggest that they pick on someone their own size - or try clay pigeon shooting.

If you agree that this cruel sport should be banned then contact your local MP, Grant Shapps.

Mary Barton,

Ayot St Peter.