SWLSpigs – by Danielle Champ and Faye Mayern
A group of runaway pigs have broken loose again just days after the farmer installed an electric fence to keep them contained.
The animals have been raiding properties in the village of Garvestone, Norfolk after escaping from a nearby farm.
Locals have even taken it into their own hands to herd the pigs back up to the farm after multiple raids have left residents with thousands of pounds worth of damage.
However parish councillor Amanda Ward said she saw two pigs while she was walking her dog along a public footpath near the pigs’ home this week.
Mrs Wood said she saw the pigs around 4.30pm on February 4 ‘burying themselves in the field’.
She said: “It’s becoming a public safety concern. The field is close to the railway, which could cause no end of trouble.
“If my dog gets loose, I am liable for whatever happens. The same is true for Mr Armiger and his pigs.
“Something has to happen before they cause an accident.”
The farmer, Trevor Armiger, installed the electric fence over the weekend of February 1.
His wife, Danielle Armiger, said that since the fence was installed, “no pigs have been out for a while”.
After Mrs Ward tried to notify the owner of the fields, she called Garvestone’s parish council chairman, Jim Smerdon, who said the pigs were corralled back home.
Mr Smerdon is now calling for those in the village to work together to permanently pen in the persevering pigs.
He said: “What we need to do is find a solution for the pigs to be secured.
“This is a community problem and it is the community who should fix it.”
Breckland Council said it welcomes the installation of the fence, which it hoped “will bring a better quality of life for those living nearby”.
A council spokesman said: “Our officers have been to visit the site on several occasions over the last few weeks and provided informal advice on the measures that should be taken by the farmer to stop his livestock from escaping.
“We’re pleased to see that a fence has now been installed.”
Locals had previously spoken out about the swine causing thousands of pounds of damage when they demolished gardens along a sleepy lane.
CCTV footage taken earlier this month showed the animals rooting through front gardens and causing chaos with their rampage starting last August.
Some residents are refusing to returf their gardens until it is clear that the pigs cannot escape again.
ENDS
