I WISH to take issue with Joyce Moss and D Boycott with regard to the non-culling of wild boar in the Forest.

On April 7 my daughter was driving from Lydney to Bream and was charged by a large wild boar.

The force with which it hit the car she was driving completely smashed the front passenger side of the car and if it had not been for the deployment of both air bags at the front, she could well have been badly injured.

As it is she suffers from neck and back pain, the treatment of which is not claimable from the insurance company as they cannot claim from a boar. 

If she had been riding a bicycle or walking, the possible injuries do not bear thinking about The car was a complete write-off and, as it was nearly new, money was lost on replacing it. I also understand that there was another accident with a boar at Staunton during the same week.

As the boar have no natural predators, they can reproduce at will in large quantities. The numbers are now getting to the point that people are afraid to take their children or dogs for walks in the forest, and this will eventually have an impact on tourism.

In years gone by, boar hunting was a sport and this kept the numbers down. They should either be culled or secured in a large reserve where they can be seen from afar but not interact with the public.

If left to breed unchecked, there will be thousands in the Forest within a few years.

– Valerie Burton, Coleford.