PRINCE Charles has called for grey squirrels to be culled to secure the survival of the native reds.
However, campaigners have hit out at claims this could be done by “poisoning, shooting or bludgeoning” them.
Prince Charles has backed a move for the “vermin” species to be culled in Cornwall, having already called for their eradication nationally.
In Formby, buffer zones are already set up to keep the greys out and encourage the survival of the reds.
Greys caught within Formby’s red squirrel reserve are killed “humanely”, according to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.
Steve White, conservation officer of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust said: “We will only carry out grey control where they directly or may affect populations of red squirrels.
“We humanely dispatch them. It would be illegal to poison in areas where there are also red squirrels.”
