Not since the court of Henry VIII perhaps, has its rich, gamey flesh been as popular with diners as it is now – for both its taste and its healthy properties.

But such is the fashion for venison that the very existence of England's largest population of red deer is under threat from gangs of armed poachers determined to cash in on rising demand.

Poachers are travelling to Exmoor National Park in increasing numbers, armed with rifles and powerful lamps to stun the animals in the darkness.

Police in the West Country have armed officers on standby in order to provide backup for patrols attempting to stop what they describe as "organised slaughter" by criminals.

There are even reports of the deer being chased off the moors at night and butchered in the streets of the nearby Somerset town of Minehead by the poachers.