Lamping (From The Northern Echo)

Lamping

9:47am Thursday 22nd February 2007 in Letters

I FEEL that I must write regarding John Dean's story about poaching (Echo, Feb 19). I found the insinuations that all lampers are poachers and thieves, trespassing and causing criminal damage wherever they go, quite insulting.

I lamp rabbits, as a legitimate form of pest control. It is not illegal and is done on property where I have permission.

Surely the co-ordinator of Countryside Crime Watch, Brian Povey, who is a gamekeeper himself, should know what lamping is, and the pests it is used to control, not just rabbits, but foxes around game pens, even more so with the hunting with hounds ban in place.

Your story fails to put across the facts about legitimate lamping, what it entails or how it is carried out. Myself and countless other "legitimate"

lampers would welcome another article stating the true facts about this country pursuit. - Pat Blewitt, Darlington