The goats of wrath
Marquess at war with villagers … over herds of feral beasts
ROAMING idly along its craggy cliffs, they have delighted visitors to Cheddar Gorge ever since they were let loose on the land almost 15 years ago.
But villagers near the Somerset beauty spot say marauding herds of feral goats have been venturing down from the gorge to lay waste to their flowerbeds, lawns and hedges – and have even ruined a small vineyard.
Now residents of Cheddar fear it is only a matter of time before the vandals – some of which weigh as much as 22 stone – destroy one of the village’s last remaining ancient orchards.
The out-of-control goat population is at the centre of a bitter row between villagers and Alexander Thynn, the eccentric Marquess of Bath, who released the goats on to the land in 2005.
Lord Bath, 85, owns the southern part of the limestone gorge, while the north belongs to the National Trust. He brought in the goats as a way of keeping scrubland down.
Since then, the animals have escaped their clifftop pens to run feral and are breeding more. In 2016 there were 50 – but this had risen to 61 last year.
So angry are locals that some have threatened to shoot the goats and dump their carcasses on the landscaped gardens of Lord Bath’s stately home at Longleat in Wiltshire.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said: ‘Here’s an aristocrat worth millions and millions of pounds and I’m losing out because he can’t keep the goats he released under control.
‘They’ve become a plague and eaten their way through a thick hedge so they can dine on my
grassland which was being grown to feed my horses throughout the summer. ‘I’ve been told that if I catch them on my land I can shoot them and if I do I will be taking them back and leaving them on the lawn of his stately home.’ Patrick Emett, a retired construction costs consultant, said: destroyed ‘I’ve already by these had shrubbery goats and I treasure the ancient orchard and would hate to see it go the same way. ‘I spend a lot of time watching for the goats on my land. I, and others like me, feel as though our property is under attack … if I introduced a pair of lynx on to my land, it would be my responsibility to retain them and prevent them from escaping.
‘If they were to escape and cause damage to someone or their property I couldn’t plead they are not my responsibility – but this is exactly what Longleat are claiming.’
Another resident said: ‘ You can’t plant anything without these pests coming down and rampaging through your garden.
‘How would the Marquess like it if his goats ate their way through his hedge maze at Longleat? They would be the first to be bleating and the goats quickly dispatched.
‘These animals need to be controlled and if that means shooting them and rounding the rest up to be put in a more secure area then so be it.’
Landowners, businesses and residents near Cheddar Gorge have lodged complaints with Longleat and the parish council.
A spokesman for Longleat said some feral goats had strayed beyond the gorge due to a lack of scrub to graze off, adding: ‘The Cheddar Gorge team regularly encourage any goats which stray close to the village back up to the gorge.
‘As the weather continues to improve and temperatures rise we hope the goats will return to the top of the gorge to graze as normal very soon.’
Peter Colton, leader of Cheddar parish council, said: ‘We have been talking with Longleat, Natural England and Batts Combe Quarry about the problem to see what can be done to minimise the damage being caused.’
A spokesman for Natural England, which maintains the Cheddar Complex site, said: ‘Regular counts of both goats and sheep are made and the numbers present are controlled by shooting.’
‘We feel under attack’