ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners caused a stir in the town in a Mothers Day theme protest.

Members of Redditch Vegetarians and Vegans (RVV) donned aprons, dressing gowns and cow masks to liken themselves to the overworked mothers they claim cows are.

The group met outside St Stephen's Church on Friday and used a vacuum cleaner, mop, brooms and an ironing board to attract shoppers and distribute leaflets about the dairy industry.

RVV member Kevin White said they aimed to dispel the myth of contentment and reveal how the dairy cow was the hardest worked of all farmed animals.

He added: "It is the height of hypocrisy that while the nation pays homage to motherly love and affection on Mother's Day.

"In the same 24 hours more than 5,000 dairy cows will suffer the heartbreak of losing their babies - a sorrow they must endure three or four times in their unnaturally short lives."

The group's leaflet looks at the environmental cost of producing milk, health concerns, and the physical suffering of cows, including emaciation and hunger, strain on udders and the weight of udders crippling their hind legs.

Mr White said: "Anyone who has ever known the pleasure and pride of parenthood must empathise with these mothers, and there is only one solution - leaving their milk for their calves!"