Drivers who wreck fences ‘risk lives’
A Southland farmer fed up with vehicles running off the road and damaging his fence says not notifying him of the damage is putting people’s lives at risk.
Morton Mains sheep and beef farmer Neil Blackmore said this week a vehicle drove into his fence, near the Rimu- Seaward Downs Rd and Dacre-Morton Mains Rd threeway intersection, and he was not notified of the incident.
It was the fourth time a vehicle had damaged the fenceline in about 20 years. Only once had the person responsible told him and had the fence repaired, he said.
While there had been no livestock in the paddock with the most recent incident, if there had been, it could have got on to the road and caused another crash, he said.
‘‘It’s just frustrating. It’s risking other people’s lives. It has to be re- paired. If there is stock there, it’s possible it could get out.’’
Fixing the fence would cost about $400 for labour and materials, he said.
Southland Federated Farmers president Russell MacPherson said people driving into fences was an ongoing issue for farmers.
Motorists were obliged to notify the farmer of the incident to prevent livestock from wandering on to the road and causing another crash.
It was the responsibility of the driver to repair the fence, he said.
Southland District Council animal control officer Julie Gillan said the ranger could put the livestock into the nearest paddock and make it a temporary pound until the owner was tracked down.
If a fence was damaged through no fault of the farmer and then the livestock wandered on to the road and caused a crash, it would be a civil matter, she said.