Thirty years after the myxomatosis virus was introduced to cull rabbits, hundreds of thousands are to be killed with cyanide gas in the south of England.

Eastbourne Council says the rabbits are damaging the South Downs.

But animal welfare groups are angry about the plan, saying it will indiscriminately kill other wildlife too.

The local authority is seeking to control a spiralling population of rabbits which is nibbling its way through valuable grasslands and contributing to serious soil erosion.

Councillors in the East Sussex town have approved a scheme, scheduled to start in November, which will seal burrows and use a powdered cyanide to gas the rabbits "quickly and painlessly".

'Indiscriminate' killing

However the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has cast doubt on the effectiveness of the poisoning method, pointing out that the gas will kill everything in its path.

Colin Booty, from the association's wildlife department, said that the rabbit burrows could be used by other animals.

"A hole also used by badgers or foxes should be easily spotted but species such as adders and other small rodents which often hibernate in burrows could easily perish," Mr Booty said.

The RSPCA would prefer live trapping by driving rabbits from their hideaways or setting bait as the most humane means of conducting a large cull.