…Researched and contributed by Jack Sylva.
In this news report, it is revealed that a group of sheep has been causing chaos in Kidnalls Drive in the Forest of Dean for the past decade.
Locals are blaming the shepherd, Jeremy Awdry, for the situation and demanding that he control his “hooligan” sheep.
These woolly beasts have been using people’s gardens as toilets, ruining plants, and causing a disturbance by bleating throughout the night.
The right of sheep to graze anywhere in the Forest of Dean under “common of mast” laws originating in the Middle Ages has been a bone of contention between the locals and the shepherd.
Jeremy Awdry has been insisting that the law applies to sheep and not just to pigs.
However, this has been refuted by a Daily Star search that only supports the common of mast law for pigs.
Despite the shepherd’s claims, the residents assert that the forest boundary is marked by a bollard 30 meters down the road from the estate, and the sheep have no right to roam there.
An exasperated local resident, Jeff Beveridge, 65, said that residents are considering launching a petition to have a cattle grid built to prevent the sheep from entering their gardens.
The situation has gotten so bad that the sheep have eaten most of the plants in the area, including shrubs that they usually do not eat, like lavender and rosemary.
Furthermore, the residents complain about the noise made by the sheep, which keeps them awake at night.
They are even forced to walk on the road due to the excessive amount of sheep poo.
Local Councillor Richard Boyles has backed calls for the installation of a cattle grid in the area.
Mr. Awdry was expelled from the local association of graziers for not keeping his sheep within the Forest’s boundaries.
The general secretary of the Forest of Dean Commoners Association, Mick Holder, pointed out that the estate is outside of the boundary, and no one is allowed to bring sheep there.
Mr. Awdry, who was imprisoned in February 2022 for illegally keeping dogs, has denied that his sheep have caused any damage to people’s gardens.
He also said that he is willing to move his sheep if he is asked to do so.