A FOREST sheep badger says he has been wrongly accused of being the owner of sheep who were apparently left to suffer in the recent heatwave.

Last week we revealed that Gloucestershire County Council was investigating reports that unshorn sheep were left in Parkend during the recent heatwave.

Badger Jeremy Awdry says he has been approached by people who think the sheep belong to him.

He said: “They are not mine – my sheep are all marked and have been shorn.”

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire County Council said: “A Trading Standards (TS) officer visited the site and made contact with the owner of the sheep, who has not been named, last week.

“The TS team is satisfied that, by the time they became involved, the majority of the sheep subject to this complaint had been shorn and there were plans in place to catch and shear the remainder.

“As the sheep are free roaming throughout the Forest of Dean, this is a more demanding task than if they were

contained in a single field. Those actions combined with the drop in temperatures have acted to mitigate any welfare concerns over these sheep.

“There is no legal requirement to shear sheep, but there is a duty of care on a person responsible for animals to ensure the needs of that animal, including protection from suffering are met.

“If the keeper had not taken any steps, which is not the case in this instance,  a veterinary report that the sheep were in distress would be required before any formal action could be taken.”