Town calls in shepherd to tackle rampant sheep

A Welsh town troubled by nuisance sheep is hiring a shepherd to round them up.

Councillors in Blaenavon, south Wales, say vandals cutting fences on the surrounding hills to go “off-roading” on quad bikes are letting the sheep loose on the town. 

The freed animals are causing a nuisance on the roads, eating garden flowers, and grazing in a cemetery.

Nick Horler, a councillor, said it was a “massive issue” that endangered the animals because they block roads, causing traffic jams and even road accidents.

Now Torfaen borough council plans to hire a ranger to manage the stray sheep in the town and maintain the surrounding area, which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

At the authority’s May meeting, Mr Horler asked: “Is it not time for a shepherd to ease the current concerns raised by many of our community?”

Mandy Owen, the council’s cabinet member for the environment, said a “ranger role” was under consideration after discussions at the Blaenavon World Heritage Town Partnership group.

For hundreds of years, commoners have been allowed to keep sheep on the land surrounding the historic mining town. 

But Mr Horler said the public is not acting responsibly to preserve the land that acts as the gateway to the Brecon Beacons.

He said: “I’ve been asking for a shepherd for quite a few years.

“Commoners have had sheep in the area for hundreds and hundreds of years, and they have the right to do so. But the land hasn’t been looked after by Joe Public.

“It’s lovely to see the sheep around but the ongoing issue right now is about the welfare of the land around us and taking responsibility.”

The independent councillor said the sheep incidents would “never have happened” if people did not destroy fences.

While farmers quickly reclaim wandering sheep when alerted, the frequency of fence-breaking means it is not long before more are back in town.

Mr Horler pointed out that while farmers were the ones criticised, it was not their fault.

“The bottom line is the fence has been damaged by someone other than the farmer or landowner,” he said. “It’s a massive issue. The off-roading is getting silly and is damaging the land. It will never go back to the way it was.”

The councillor added that the public could help by shutting gates behind them to stop sheep getting into locations such as the cemetery.

Janet Jones, another independent councillor, said the ranger was needed for the sheep’s welfare.

“The commoners are repairing their fences but then offroaders, and sometimes walkers, go and break them again,” she said. “People need to be educated.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]