‘Glorious Twelfth’ blunder unlucky for Chris Packham, says BASC

BASC has urged BBC presenter Chris Packham to check his facts more carefully after he committed another social media blunder.

Packham used his Twitter feed to attack grouse shooting and said the uplands would “echo with the sound of gunshots” on August 12.

But the famous ‘Glorious Twelfth’ falls on a Sunday this year – which means there will be no shooting until at least the thirteenth.

Last year, Packham caused uproar after wrongly suggesting that shooters target lapwings, a protected species.

Garry Doolan, BASC head of press relations, said: “The number thirteen is considered to be desperately unlucky by some. If that’s not already the case for Packham, it will be after this latest social media blooper.

“The shooting community considers the ‘Glorious Twelfth’ to be an iconic day, the long-awaited start of the grouse season. We have to be a little bit more patient this year and wait until the thirteenth as the law prohibits game shooting on a Sunday.

“If Packham is going to use such events to promote his anti-shooting agenda, he should at least get his facts straight.

“It’s not the first time, of course, that Packham has got it so wrong on social media. His post about lapwings last year caused real consternation. He appears not to have learnt his lesson.”

The Game Act 1831 prohibits game shooting on a Sunday and on Christmas Day.