THE chair of the commoners' Association is calling for a Forest referendum on containing the numbers of wild boar to halt the "growing amount of damage" they are causing.

Henry Mills, who has personal experience of boar damage, says it is time for a vote on the issue and his organisation feels it should be restricted to people living in the Statutory Forest.

Those outside this area, he feels, will have no idea of the amount of damage the wild pigs are inflicting on the community.

Several acres of his daughter's land at Blakeney as well as some of his own have been damaged by boar.

Mr Mills says he was "heartbroken" when he saw the damage.

With nobody taking responsibility for the animals, he says landowners are being left to pick up the tab.

Mr Mills has been given an estimate of £1,700 to reinstate the land on the smallholding owned by his daughter.

"If I shot a boar on the road the Forestry Commission would be straight down on me," he said.

"But the boar can come onto your land and cause all this damage and nobody is responsible.

"I can't reinstate it. I'm 81, it's a lot of work.

"It's a job for a contractor and I've been quoted £1,700 for the work."

Mr Mills also says he does not believe the boar are truly wild and the Commoners are trying to find out where the law stands on the issue – if they are not wild, then the owners, probably the Forestry Commission, may be liable for the damage they cause.