Experts at the Hampshire beauty spot say the six porkers - which are due to start their work at Fletchers Hill, near Brockenhurst - will almost eradicate the need for chemical weed killer.

Pig nuts will be scattered within a pen to encourage the animals to root around and break up the root systems of a plant called Gaultheria.

First there were deer and ponies: Now there will be pigs in the New Forest

The shrub, known as American Strawberry, is causing a headache for rangers and conservationists because it spreads so quickly.

Introduced to Britain about 100 years ago, it forms a dense cover and stops other plants from growing.

Before the pig initiative, the only alternative was to use pesticide.

And if shrub dispersal at Brockenhurst succeeds, more pigs could be employed in the area.