THE master of a Worcestershire hunt has spoken of the anguish and distress he experienced in the Cumbrian killing fields.

Chris Burrows-Wood, of the Clifton upon Teme hunt, wept as he co-ordinated the slaughter of thousands of sheep and cattle.

But he says he would have no hesitation in returning to the county, where he has been based for three weeks - to spare someone else the agony.

"It's very hard work, both physically and mentally," said Mr Burrows-Wood.

"As huntsmen we deal very closely with farmers on a day-to-day basis, but in this crisis you're taking away their livelihoods."

The 42-year-old huntsman, who keeps sheep at the kennels in Whitbourne, was based mainly at the Great Orton airfield, where hundreds of thousands of carcases have been buried.

Livestock is brought on to the site and slaughtered in special pens.

"A lot of the people working there were quite stressed when it came to the lambs," said Mr Burrows-Wood.

"Some ewes were lambing when they were there. You also had lambs coming in that had been born that morning.

"Even those who worked in abattoirs couldn't face killing them.

"But we had to catch and hold the lambs while a vet injected them."

Between 11,000 and 14,000 animals are killed each day in Cumbria.

"While we're doing this we feel we're fighting this disease," said Mr Burrows-Wood.

"There is a sense to this madness.

"You're nearly crying when you're doing it, but you know it's got to be done.

"Even the vets from America couldn't handle it.

"We went out to one man's farm and he was hosing down the milking shed where his cows had been milked that morning.

"We could see he was crying so we went to talk to him. Soon there were 10 of us all crying at what had happened.

"Things like that make you realise how terrible it is.

"Just the size of the crisis makes me shake now.

"But I'd go back tomorrow if I was needed, just so someone else didn't have to go through it."

Mr Burrows-Wood said the RSPCA had monitored the slaughter.

"They're always on the site - their head vet watched myself and another huntsman kill an entire pen of sheep. He was satisfied and said how professional we'd been.

"We're always thinking of the animals. We do everything we can to do it properly."