Hundreds of bees were killed by council workers at an allotment site - after they mistook the insects for wasps.

Workington Town Council, which runs the Soapery Allotment site where the bees were found, has apologised for the incident.

Council workers were clearing a disused plot on Wednesday when they were allegedly attacked by the bees.

They then used a household wasp killer to destroy the insects.

But Alan James, a beekeeper who has hives at both Seaton and Keswick, said a beekeeper could have safely removed the hive without harming the bees.

A council spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident which took place on Wednesday, whilst town council estate staff were clearing a disused allotment plot. They believed the site to be out of use and were removing a quantity of former structures when they were confronted by a number of flying insects which they took to be wasps.

"They responded by deploying off-the-shelf wasp killer and continued clearing the allotment site. It has since been observed that the wasps may actually have been bees, re-occupying a disused hive structure.

"The council has reviewed its procedures following this incident in handling off-the-shelf pest control products; in dealing with flying insects; and ensuring that both staff and the environment are adequately protected in the future.

"We would like to apologise if this incident has caused any distress, and would like to reassure all members of the public that the council takes its role in protecting the environment very seriously."

Mr James, who has kept the bees regularly for over 20 years, said: "If they had contacted a local beekeeper they would have known what to do. Last week I carried a hive to Keswick and set it up where my bees are."

He added if the bees hadn't been in a hive it would have been very difficult to remove them without killing them.

He said: "If the bees are in a hive all you need to do is wait until the evening when they've stopped flying to move it."

He added that bees need to be removed at least three miles away from where the hive was or they would go back to it.

The hive has now been cleared.

The British Beekeepers Association, which promotes the importance of bees for the environment, said bees nationally are in danger of disappearing due to farming practices and diseases such as varroa mite.

It added only it was only the treatment and care provided by beekeepers that was keeping colonies alive.

About 70 crops in the UK are dependent on, or benefit from, visits from bees.

Bees also pollinate the flowers of many plants which become part of feed for farm animals.