Hundreds of deer will be killed across Lincolnshire in a bid to control the population.

Malcolm Armstrong, a wildlife ranger for the Forestry Commission and head of field operations for the Lincolnshire Deer Group, said the cull would be ongoing and be carried out by qualified marksmen.

He said: "Culls have always happened in the area but deer are becoming more and more prevalent in Lincolnshire."

Around 200 deer are usually killed in Lincolnshire every year in an attempt to manage populations but this year's total may be higher.

A one-off cull in April has already seen the killing of 41 deer.

The small muntjac deer browse on low-lying plant life and have been damaging populations of bluebells and wild orchids.

Mr Armstrong said: "Muntjac really like to eat low ground plants and that really creates a problem with the flora and fauna in some woods.

"If populations get really high then rather than deer being a cute animal that people want to see they can become a pest.

"If the general deer population gets too large then they can start to pick up diseases and we need to strike a balance in management."

Muntjac deer thrive in temperate conditions and have become increasingly common in England due to climatic change and warmer winters.

Any deer killed in the operations will be sold on for human consumption.

To find out more about the cull of Lincolnshire deer, see Wednesday's Echo.