Donkey strike ends

Rides are back on as donkeys end industrial action

The great donkey strike of Weston-super-Mare is over.

After a day of inaction and protest yesterday, the donkeys were back on the sands at the Somerset resort today.

If you get some bolting, they go all different ways, they don't go straight

Kevin Mager

The cause of the strike was a decision by the council to allow a helicopter company to operate trips from the same stretch of beach as the donkey rides.

That, said the donkeys' owners, would pose a risk to public safety and to the animnals' welfare.

The impasse was resolved, when the helicopter company agreed to move further down the beach.

Kevin Mager operates one of the donkey rides. He spoke to us from the beach to tell us how pleased he was the donkeys were back at work.

And Peter Hall of Polo Aviation, which is operating the helicopter flights, told PM why they'd moved.