Rabbits are being shot in West Cumbrian cemeteries after complaints that they have been eating floral tributes left on graves.

Allerdale council has revealed that it has called in a licensed contractor to tackle the rabbits, which have also been digging holes and causing safety concerns in the cemeteries.

A spokesman said about 30 rabbits had been killed in Cockermouth Cemetery so far this year.

The creatures have also been shot in Maryport after similar complaints about the cemetery there.

Len Davies, who is a borough and town councillor in Cockermouth's All Saints' ward, said a number of people had told him they had left flowers in the Lorton Road cemetery, only to return and find them destroyed by the animals.

He said: "I am an animal lover and it is a pity that a solution other than killing an animal cannot be found but I don't know what alternative there can be.

"I was speaking to a chap who had put some flowers down and got back and all he found were the stalks. When I went round to see how big the problem was I saw there were quite a lot of flowers around. I did speak with people who were in the cemetery and they said it had happened to them.

"They're using a high-powered airgun. I am saddened by the fact that these creatures are having to be killed."

Animal lover Jaquie Stobbart, who lives in Cockermouth, said the rabbits should be left in peace.

She added: "I do not agree with culling the rabbits. They don't understand what they are eating, to kill them is just cruel. People can't just decide to kill defenceless animals.

"I would imagine it's only a minority that would want that anyway. I'm sure worse things are carried out by people and that course of action isn't chosen to stop them.

"It's getting out of hand, where would it stop? "There's wildlife everywhere. That's nature."

Cockermouth town councillor Ken Scales felt something had to be done if the cemetery was being overrun.

He added: "It's bound to be upsetting for people that leave the flowers."

Dolly Daniel, of High Street, Maryport, said: "I can understand relatives being upset if their flowers are being destroyed but I wouldn't be too comfortable walking past the cemetery, hearing shots and seeing rabbits being slaughtered.

"I think I would avoid the place."

A spokesman said the council had a statutory duty to control the number of rabbits on its land.

She added: "This is not an unusual process, and other local authorities across the country use similar measures to control the numbers of rabbits on their land.

"We occasionally receive complaints regarding rabbits eating flowers on graves, however rabbits can also cause bigger problems to the quality and safety of the cemetery.

"We therefore use a professional, licensed service to carry out the work as and when it is necessary, as we have done over the past few years.

"Strict safety procedures are put into place, with the work being carried out at times that members of the public are unlikely to be present."

The RSPCA said it was opposed to the killing or taking of wildlife and that in circumstances where there was a proven case for controlling wild animals, it advocated using non-harmful deterrents like fences.

A spokesman added: "If all humane deterrence and other measures fail, or there is evidence that alternatives are not appropriate, and a cull is supported by science, it is very important that it is carried out in a humane and controlled way.

"Any decision to carry out a cull must be taken on a case-by-case basis based on the specific issues which impact a specific area."