A SUFFOLK countryman who spent six years developing an animal trap has criticised the BBC after it failed to credit him for the invention when it was shown on television.

By Tina Heath

A SUFFOLK countryman who spent six years developing an animal trap has criticised the BBC after it failed to credit him for the invention when it was shown on television.

Brian Brinded, 57, developed a portable system that brought rabbit long-netting into the 21st century.

The metal frame and ready pegged lengthy nylon net, which slashes the time needed to lay the trap, featured on BBC's Clarissa and the Countrymen programme.

But the smallholder, of Holton St Mary, near Capel, was left feeling "conned" when the show, which looks at the British countryside with celebrity chef Clarissa Wright, failed to credit him as the brains behind the system.

Mr Brinded, who lives with his wife Carol, also 57, said: "Pat Carey, who is known as The Warrener, demonstrated it – he stole my thunder.

"I have been in touch with the BBC saying 'Come on, let's have some recognition'. People are coming away thinking he has developed it."

Mr Brinded developed the long nets, which are unique in that one person can set them up, by improving on an age-old design. The traps, which have also been featured in two trade magazines, have attracted huge interest and been sold across the world.

Distributed by mail order and through trade shows, including the Suffolk Show, they are touted as a fast and cruelty-free way to cull unwanted rabbits.

Mr Brinded and his wife share their life with an exotic menagerie of animals, from rabbits and guinea pigs to rare breeds of goat and a courtyard of hens.

He says the long nets, which have been used to trap rabbits for centuries, are an environmentally friendly alternative to other methods of culling rabbits, such as gassing or shooting them.

The BBC's Countryfile programme, with John Craven, has also shown an interest in featuring the idea.

Mr Brinded said: "The potential is there for them to take off.

"They are versatile, farmers use them and gamekeepers and sportsmen. Traditionally they were only used at night for catching rabbits, but they can be used for ferreting, on set-aside where you have rabbits living on the top, or in woodland.

"I'm very rarely without a net in the back of my truck."

A spokeswoman for the BBC said: " Pat Carey demonstrated it. There was nothing in the programme to suggest he invented it."