TRUSTEES of Lydney Recreation Ground have approved plans to “drastically” reduce the number of geese at the lake by culling them, despite local opposition.

Town councillors agreed to the cull at a meeting of the Recreation Trust on Monday (July 25), following complaints from sports clubs that they’ve been unable to play on their pitches because they’re covered in faeces.

But one councillor said the trust risks being branded “bullies” for killing the animals just because they impact on leisure in the town.

Trust Chairman Cllr Richard Kemsley said he’s received multiple complaints about faeces on footpaths around the lake, as well as the geese becoming “aggressive” to people who use it, with a mother and child having been “threatened” recently.

He said their numbers have “doubled” in recent years, and that some other wildlife was no longer present at the lake because the geese have taken over.

He added that during recent tests by the Environment Agency, high levels of nitrogen were found in the lake - which he suggested was being caused by the geese faeces - posing a risk to the fish, and a problem for anglers.

He said that faeces on the Rec had caused Lydney RFC juniors to cancel training, Lydney CC to cancel games and Lydney FC to host their pre-season fixtures as far away as Monmouth.

Cllr Kemsley proposed the cull after it was recommended by pest control service Ecolab, following a recent survey.

He explained that the issue had been on the trust’s agenda three years ago, but that little action had been taken.

He said he regrets the trust “should’ve done more” in the years since to control their numbers, but that now might be “our last chance to sort this out”.

Cllr Claire Vaughan said she appreciated culling the geese was “not an easy decision to make”, citing her role as a district councillor when the decision was made to cull wild boar in the Forest.

But she said that the trust have a responsibility “for the safety of our people, of our town”, and should “put the people first” by going ahead with the cull.

Cllr Steve Stockham strongly opposed the move, saying that culling the geese to control numbers “is not going to work”.

He explained that the trust had inadvertently created “the perfect habitat” for the geese by cutting back the previously wild area behind the lake, creating an ideal feeding ground for them.

He said the geese had become aggressive because people are in the habit of feeding them, which also encourages them to stay.

Cllr Stockham offered other ideas on how the trust could control numbers both ahead of and during the meeting, including fencing the island to discourage nesting, and adding in water plants near the lake’s edge to make access more difficult.

But Cllr Kemsley said that their numbers had got “too high” for those measures alone to be effective, and trusted Ecolab’s recommendation.

Cllr Louise Penny agreed with Cllr Stockham, and suggested permanent signage explaining the reasons not to feed the birds, changing the habitat at the lake and chain harrowing the sports pitches to remove the faeces as alternative measures to culling.

But Cllr Emma Taylor said chain harrowing would only break down the faeces and make it worse.

Cllr Walter Leach said he has sympathy for Cllrs Stockham and Penny, but that while consultants should be brought on board to advise on how the habitat can be changed going forward, “sadly” they must start from a lower population.

He also asked what percentage of the geese would be culled, and was told that while there was no percentage, Cllr Kemsley was proposing that numbers be reduced “drastically”.

Cllr Sue Holmes asked how affective the cull would be, and the chairman said Ecolab “wouldn’t guarantee” that it would work.

Cllr Penny said she thinks locals don’t want the cull - but Cllr Leach said he had had the opposite feedback.

Cllr Stockham concluded by saying that people “are not separate from nature”, and that they risk looking like “bullies” for imposing their wishes upon the geese, which are “every bit as important” as people.

Cllr Kemsley’s proposal to allow Ecolab two visits to cull geese at the lake was approved with six votes for, three against and one abstention.

Clerk Stephan Holley then asked whether the trust wanted use their special project reserve to pay for the cull.

Cllr Carole Harris said they should use their standard reserve as it was not a “special project”, and designating it as such would be “distasteful”, on which the trustees agreed.

Cllr Stockham said after the meeting that he was “appalled” at the lack of alternatives offered and the understanding of the issue from councillors, who had been “led by opinion” without any facts to back up their view.

He said he wasn’t aware of any complaints other than from the sports clubs, which were a “small shot” out of thousands of residents in Lydney.

He added that a petition to stop the cull has now been started by locals, which can be found at www.change.org/p/stop-the-culling-of-geese.