Hastings residents’ safety fears over plans to allow cattle to roam freely in country park

They said the authority plans to fence off walking areas of the country park at the Firehills and allow cows and other cattle to roam freely.

The residents’ concerns come after a pony went over the cliffs at Fairlight last month and died.

The council also intends to introduce virtual fencing to control the cattle, residents have said.

Virtual fencing is used to remotely map and control livestock without the use of fixed fences.

Animals are fitted with a GPS collar, which emits a tone and an electric shock, as the animal approaches a pre-determined virtual barrier,

Sally Watson said: “I have lived here for 45 years and the country park is gradually becoming like a theme park where the animals are more important than people. This is a step too far.

“A lot of people are very worried about their safety because cows are unpredictable. In Guestling a man was killed by his own cows. I have been chased by cows before.”

Sarah Russel, who has started an online petition, which has been signed by more than 100 people, said she was worried about the safety of disabled people, children and elderly people who use the park.

Christine Morgan said she and her friend were chased by cows two months ago.

Iris Baden said: “This is not just an area for people to come and walk their dogs, it’s a place to to meet people and chat. People interact and get to know their dogs’ names.”

Pat Williams said: “The only contact I had with people in lockdown in the last two years was with the dog walkers here. If they had taken this away I think I would have ended up with a nervous breakdown.”

Maria Hodgson, who works at Fairlight Nursery, said: “Has this been risk-assessed by the council? The children like to have access to the park and in my opinion they would not be safe.”

Simon Price said he has walked in the area for more than 20 years and his late wife’s memorial bench is located in the park.

Graham Powell said: “This is one of the few places in Hastings where you can let the dog off the lead. This new virtual fence will not stop any dog from going over there.”

A council spokesperson said: “The death of one of our Exmoor ponies was a tragic accident and deeply upsetting for council staff and volunteers. The pony was located within 24 hours of being reported missing. All the cliff top fencing in Warren Glen has been secured to prevent the ponies getting into this area again.

“The Belted Galloway cattle and the Exmoor ponies are wild animals which do a fabulous job in sustainably managing the wild and inaccessible areas of the nature reserve as well as providing a wonderful attraction for visitors.

“The council would like to thank the volunteers and council staff who searched for and found the pony when it went missing.

“Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve is managed to conserve the landscape, habitats and biodiversity, and provide an area of learning, peace and enjoyment for our local community and visitors. Biodiversity is in crisis across the world. The council’s management of the nature reserve is helping to reverse this. “The council has a statutory duty to manage the rare habitats of the nature reserve and we are working in partnership with key conservation advisors such as Natural England and the High Weald with management grants from the UK government to do this.

“The Belted Galloway cattle offer a sustainable, low impact, natural way of managing the ecosystem. They will only be on the Firehills for a short period, depending on weather conditions, after the summer season.

“Different areas will be grazed at different times before they are moved around the site. We will update visitors to where the cattle are and where they will be moved to so they can plan their visits accordingly.

“The council will not be stopping people from walking on the Firehills, and dog walkers are not being stopped from exercising their dogs. They are being asked to show care and to have their dogs under control when they are near the cattle, as they would anywhere else where there are grazing animals.”

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