A member of Malvern Hills Conservators has accused the board of being "irresponsible" in the management of its sheep.

David Masters believes measures introduced after the loss of 56 lambs in 2003 are still inadequate.

The land management committee agreed last Thursday to continue carrying out official sheep counts six times a year.

Mr Masters says he is concerned for the welfare of the sheep.

But John Thorley, chief executive of the Malvern-based National Sheep Association, said the policy was a fair one.

He said: "On lowland, enclosed areas, you count your sheep every day but it's quite different when you get up onto a hill.

"Six times would be quite frequent in comparison with some places."