Donkeys cause chaos by breaking into eco-friendly food bins
Roaming donkeys in the New Forest could scupper a full roll-out of food waste bins for residents after breaking into them and having a 'feast'.
The animals are taking advantage of a three-month pilot scheme in Brockenhurst, New Milton and Lymington by tucking into leftovers but concerns have been raised that they could contract foot and mouth disease or African swine fever.
'I think it is only going to get worse. If the donkeys start working out how to get into these bins then they will keep doing it and the diseases will continue to spread, which is just not fair on the animals,' said Andrew Parry-Norton, chairman of the Commoners' Defence Association which has represented the Hampshire national park's community and animals for more than 100 years.
'And it will only get worse in the autumn when the pigs come out, as they really will eat anything. If the diseases spread then it could cost the farming industry, which is already in a tough place, millions if not billions of pounds to deal with. That is not an exaggeration.
'We are all for recycling, especially as the area is so connected to nature, but it needs to be done in the right way.'
Mr Parry-Norton previously raised concerns about the wisdom of the scheme at the Verderers Court, which 'regulates and protects the New Forest's unique agricultural commoning practices'.
Residents in the trial have been given a 23-litre brown outdoor food waste caddy and a five-litre grey box for indoors.
New Forest district council said food waste would be taken to an anaerobic digestion facility and used to create fertiliser and renewable energy.
Gail Whitcher, a New Forest resident, posted photos on Facebook showing donkeys eating from a toppled bin in Brockenhurst.
She said: 'The donkeys have knocked over the waste bins into the road and have had a feast all the way down the road on the food waste bins, which I witnessed them opening. It's chaos.'
Jack Davies, councillor for Pennington and former mayor of Lymington, said his ward was bearing the brunt of the experiment.
He told The Telegraph: 'We are the guinea pig for the rest of the New Forest. The teething problems that we are having will be ironed out but that is no comfort to us in the first phase as there are clearly issues. The new bins feel cheap.'
A spokesman for the council said the situation was being monitored 'in the early days of the new service' and advised residents to store the caddies within their property boundary except on collection day.
He added: 'The move to bins and caddies is already leading to a massive improvement in street cleanliness. The previously used rubbish sacks were often ripped open by the free roaming animals, as well as seagulls, and foxes.'
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