THE National Trust has started a programme of shooting grey squirrels ahead of a charity’s plans to reintroduce the native red species to Exmoor.

The trust is using volunteers on its Holnicote estate to kill grey squirrels, which are classed as an invasive species.

They are trained to use a 16.27 joules air rifle, which is the most powerful that can be used in the UK without needing a firearms certificate.

About 150 Holnicote squirrels were shot in the 10 months to June of this year as the volunteers staked out fixed bait stations in areas of the estate worst affected by the animals.

The trust previously used lethal traps for the culling but stopped when when pine martens were found on the estate, a protected species which is intended to be officially reintroduced to Exmoor in the next few months.

Now, the trust is working with neighbouring landowners to set up a group to use air rifles to cull the squirrels over a wider area.

A trust spokesperson told the Free Press: “What we are doing is just standard practice for wildlife management.”

Grey squirrels cause damage to both young and mature trees by stripping bark, sometimes nearly three-quarters of it, which weakens them and puts them more at risk of wind damage.

A spokesperson for the Red Squirrel South West project, which is overseeing plans to reintroduce the species, said: “We are delighted to see the National Trust’s Holnicote estate, one of the sites we worked with through the Exmoor Squirrel Project, now taking a leading role in humane grey squirrel control.

“By adapting their approach to safeguard other native species, they have already seen success and are joining forces with neighbouring landowners to expand the practice.

“It is a great example of how our outreach can spark lasting, collaborative action.”