NOT so long ago the Forest of Dean District Council spent tens of thousands of pounds on sheep roaming prevention, mainly in Bream. The menace is now worse than ever. Ratepayers do not wish to have their youngsters ploughing through sheep droppings at every whichway. But now we have a double whammy, horses as well!

Perhaps for safety reasons these treckers seem to make a beeline for the pavements. Opposite the animal hay and feed store in Bream, it is disgusting. Regularly we see vehicles parked on the pavement there, including police speed camera vans, and we all know it is illegal to park on pavements.

If you go through the little iron gate at Bream churchyard, opposite Parawell Lane, to the right are the graves of my father and grandfather. In order to pay my respects do I have to wade through heaps of horse droppings?

I would like to suggest, rather like the old prospectors in the West, that each of the horses be equipped with a shovel so that the people in charge can clean up after the procession.

I suppose we must be thankful some of these financial benefactors do not decide to breed elephants.

Where are these so called wardens, or do they have problems getting out of the vans provided by the ratepayer?

– Mike Meredith-Edwards.