RURAL affairs minister Margaret Beckett has promised to investigate claims of cruelty in the culling of animals in East Lancashire as a result of foot and mouth.

And she has asked local MPs Gordon Prentice and Nigel Evans for evidence of the brutality they told her about in the House of Commons.

The two MPs crossed party lines to raise the allegations that some teams of slaughtermen had broken rules in the killing of animals including chasing them across fields in Land Rovers armed with rifles.

Pendle Labour MP Mr Prentice told Mrs Beckett: "Many of my constituents have contacted me about the brutal way in which animals have been culled, mentioning in particular the so-called Liverpool team.

"I invite you to comment on why, four months into the crisis, we still read horror stories about killings that have gone wrong?" Ribble Valley Tory Mr Evans told of the grieving throughout areas affected by foot and mouth such as West Bradford, Gisburn, Paythorne, Sawley, Rimington and Downham.

He asked Mrs Beckett, who plans to visit the constituency: "Will you ensure that the culling operation is carried out as humanely as possible? Stories have been spread about the inhumane culling of animals. We have heard about that before and thought that it had been corrected. It must not be allowed to continue."

Mrs Beckett, who promised a full inquiry into the foot and mouth outbreak, said she was aware of "anecdotal evidence" of distress caused by culling.

She said: "We shall of course look at any concerns that are expressed, but evidence would help."

She asked anyone with evidence to contact her department with detailed facts and promised to look into any delays in compensation. Both MPs also called for greater care to disinfect vehicles to prevent further spread of the virus. Meanwhile Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs officials were in Twiston today, on the edge of the Ribble Valley, making ongoing tests on farms next to a confirmed case.

Nearly 2,000 sheep were culled at Higher Higson farm yesterday along with 105 cattle after it was confirmed they had the virus.