Villagers' tax protest over sheep

Villagers are angry the sheep are not being properly controlled

Villagers in the Forest of Dean have threatened to withhold their council tax in protest against roaming sheep.

Ancient laws allowed commoners to graze the animals anywhere in the Forest, but a recent agreement restricts them to remote woodland areas.

But some are letting the sheep stray into towns and villages and refuse to clean up the droppings.

The council said it could not impound the animals without the police and the local force cannot spare the manpower.

Sheep Agreement

The Sheep Agreement was drawn up in 2002 as flocks were reintroduced after the foot-and-mouth cull.

It involved the county and district councils, the Commoners Association, Trading Standards, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the police and Forest Enterprise.

Through a process known as hefting, the animals would be trained to roam well away from residential and built-up areas.

The commoners agreed to round up strays and clear up their mess, but a few are shirking the responsibility.

Whitecroft parish councillor Roger Barnett said: "They just roam where they want, there's no control of them, there's never been any hefting to keep them out.

"We don't mind them roaming the forest. All we've ever asked it to keep them out of our villagers. Why should we pay for clearing up mess and still pay council tax?"

The council is not prepared to clean up the droppings because under environmental laws, it is required to dispose of them as "toxic waste" which is expensive.

Mick Holder, the secretary of the Commoners Association said the problem was being addressed.