THE approach to managing boar in the Forest is stuck in the 1970s, it has been claimed.

Forest councillor Tim Gwilliam said because of ‘mismanagement’ what could have been a “wonderful asset has been allowed to become a nuisance.”

Speaking on national radio, the Labour councillor for Berry Hill said: “The Forestry Commission, the district council and DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) are quoting their rules and they are all saying its down to private landowners.

“We’ve got 1970s law for a 2017 problem.

“West Dean parish council tried to invoke a by-law to stop people feeding the boar.

“We couldn’t even do that.

“We are going to form a committee of all the parish and town councils in the area and start doing things that way.”

Radio Two’s Jeremy Vine Show picked up on the boar issue after reports that boar had been digging up the graveyard at St John’s Church in Cinderford.

Vicar of Cinderford Rev Mike Barnsley told presenter Amol Rajan there was no danger to the actual graves.

He said: “It has been escalating over the last few weeks and there have been boar in the churchyard.

“There is damage to quite a few graves which is obviously very distressing to families.

“It’s important to note there is no danger of any damage to the actual graves.

“The boar are taking the turf off the surface – they create a mess which looks unsightly but there is no danger of any disruption further down.”

District councillor Di Martin (Lab, Cinderford East) said boar were being attracted into the towns by people feeding them.

She said: “Some local inhabitants adore the boar. I don’t hate the boar, I think they are wild animals and should be living in the Forest but some people encourage them into the settlements.

“The solution is: don’t feed them.

“The ideal is to keep them in the Forest and fence off areas but people haven’t got the resources to do that.”

A caller from Chepstow said his two-year-old Toyota car had been written off after boar “came flying out” on Ruspidge Road in Cinderford.

The answer to boar getting into gardens was to lock gates, said a caller from Coleford who added that he had never had problems with the animals.

The Forestry Commission has said it is not responsible for the boar which are wild animals but it was trying to reduce numbers through its annual cull.