A Government cull of badgers in the south Ledbury and north Gloucest-ershire area will resume in May following almost a year's break due to the foot and mouth outbreak.

The cull - which also takes in the wider south east Hereford-shire - is part of a survey being carried out by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to establish a possible scientific link between TB in badgers and cattle.

Before foot and mouth struck, Herefordshire had one of the highest levels of tuberculosis in cattle in the UK, with 102 cases logged in 1998 alone.

Trapping and surveying of badgers had been going on for two years before being halted by foot and mouth and was scheduled to run for another three. Surveying has already restarted and there are plans to extend it.

DEFRA vet Richard Grenville said: "We have a lot of testing to catch up on. Clearly the last 12 months has caused huge disruption."

However, Mr Grenville denied that the last year's suspension of the testing had invalidated the scientific basis of the trial.

"The main consideration is did total badger removal have an affect?" he said. "Work carried out before foot and mouth could be added to new research, where the results between total culling, partial culling and no culling at all could be compared."

Mr Grenville revealed that DEFRA was about to carry out further surveys of badgers, plus trapping and culling, in a new area "between Hereford, Leominster and close to Ledbury", with a border coming down as far south as Bosbury or Wellington Heath.

Sarah Blenkinsop, Hereford-shire Badger Group spokesman, said: "This is not good news for badgers. I'm astonished they are still pursuing the badger cull. Foot and mouth must have thrown a spanner into the works of their so-called trial.

"Farmers must have had animals slaughtered and removed from elements of the scientific experiment. After the tragedy of foot and mouth, it's a colossal waste of money."

Trapping will not start before May 1 because of the "closed season".

Meanwhile, routine testing for TB in Herefordshire cattle has already resumed with DEFRA insisting there will be no up-to-date picture of the scale of bovine TB in the county until it is complete.