PIGS have been causing havoc in Old Basing after a sow and her litter keep escaping from their enclosure causing extensive damage to an allotment and recreation ground.

Residents have reported seeing the pigs roaming around the village for the last week, while a video sent to the Gazette shows one digging up the recreation ground on Sunday, September 11. 

The pigs are part of a drove of 200 belonging to The Woodland Pig Company, kept at Priory Farm in Riley Lane next to the recreation ground, with grazing stretching between Hook and Old Basing.

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Owner of the company, Matthew, who describes himself on the company’s website as a “novice farmer”, said the pigs have been kept there for more than a year without any problems, until one managed to escape and taught her litter how to get through the fence and go with her.

“We have had a whole weekend of this saga,” he said, adding: “There are two or three members of the public who are anti-pigs and some who love them and who are helping them.”

He said Old Basing Parish Council was “managing the situation”.

However, Sandra Tuck, clerk for the parish council, said: “I’m not sure how he can say that as they are his pigs. I spoke to him on Friday about it, he’s supposed to be managing them. They are not our pigs. They have caused a huge amount of damage to the recreation ground.”

She said the pigs had also been in the cemetery and allotments, with one allotment holder said to be “very upset” after “suffering a lot of damage” to her plot.

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The clerk said the council had inspected the damage to the recreation ground, but added: “Until the pigs are gone, I’m reluctant to determine anything until we know the full extent of the damage. Until they are gone, we don’t know the full damage. I don’t know what we’re going to do yet, because we don’t know the cost of the damage.”

She said Matthew told the council that the pigs will be moved early this week and added: “The past week it’s become a nuisance rather than a novelty. It’s really had an impact.”

The Woodland Pig Company sells free-range pork online and at stalls at Fleet and Odiham markets, with its meat described as coming from “a happy, healthy environment”.

Its website states that it is “bringing new life into some of the rarest bloodlines left on the British Pig Association register” through its conservation plan.

The company was launched in 2020 by Matthew and Helen, who describe themselves as “novice farmers”.

It is understood the pigs have escaped numerous times during the last week. The parish council clerk said they had been walking around the children's play park eating acorns. 

Matthew said one pig had “trashed” an allotment.

Asked what he was doing to resolve the issue, Matthew declined to answer. 

He said the pig which had managed to escape was a “small” one-year-old sow.

A statement sent by Old Basing Parish Council said: "The farmer has made a huge effort to secure them, but they are still managing to break free."

It added: "We are in very frequent contact with the farmer on this matter and continue to put appropriate pressure on him to solve the problem. He is doing his best. It is understood that all of the pigs will be relocating to an alternative location over the next few weeks. The most troublesome animals have already been extracted from this field and moved to a new space. 

"We will continue to monitor the situation and will be rectifying the damaged grounds with utmost urgency."