Man to defy mushroom picking ban

A fungi expert intends to defy a ban stopping people from picking mushrooms on a huge estate in mid Wales.

Daniel Butler has been showing paying guests around the Elan Valley Estate since 1998, and regularly picks fungus.

But the Elan Valley Trust, which is responsible for its flora and fauna, said this week that some species were in decline and imposed the ban.

The trust's chairman described Friday evening's free public foray as "extremely irresponsible".

Meanwhile, the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) said picking small numbers of fungus was unlikely to jeopardise the species, but it was advisable to seek the permission of the landowner.

Mr Butler said: "I'm challenging the ban because it has no scientific basis and is unenforceable in practice.