ANIMAL welfare groups are to bring a nationwide campaign to ban snares to the heart of Glasgow.

Advocates for Animals and the League Against Cruel Sports are leading the opposition to primitive animal traps.

Their campaign will go on a two-week tour of Scottish cities and will visit George Square on Friday.

Campaigners say thousands of animals will be caught in snares in Scotland each year.

But enforcement of the existing law is extremely difficult if not impossible due to the widespread use of snares in remote areas.

Animal welfare organisations are calling for an outright ban on all snares.

The campaign was launched outside the Scottish Parliament yesterday.

Irene Oldfather, MSP for Cunninghame South, said "The use of snares is a cruel practice, designed to cause an animal unnecessary pain and torment.

"I have recently had a number of constituents complaining about finding animals in a distressed state due to having been caught in a snare."

But a joint statement issued by a number of rural groups, including the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, said snaring was a "vital tool for responsible land managers".