Residents of Godre'rgraig, a small village in Wales, have been facing a strange problem over the last few weeks. The village is being terrorised by a "nightmare" gang of sheep, who are breaking into gardens, knocking down walls and eating people's hedges. Efforts to find the owners of the flock have been unsuccessful, leaving residents to deal with the problem on their own.
Neighbour Stephan Jones, 37, shared his experience, saying, "It's been going on for at least four or five weeks. I got up one morning and there were two sheep in the garden so we shooed them on and they just kept coming back and back and back. They're everywhere, there are two who like my garden but other people have different groups that go in their gardens. So they're setting up camp in different homes."
Stephan's frustration is shared by many others in the village. The sheep have been wreaking havoc in gardens, causing damage and leaving behind heaps of muck. One resident even shared that their children were unable to play outside due to the mess left by the sheep.
Despite residents' efforts to chase them away, the sheep keep coming back in greater numbers, even roaming on local roads and the nearby A4067 bypass. This has raised concerns of accidents that could result from their presence on the roads.
Councillor Rosalyn Davies for the Godre'rgraig ward has been working to find the owners of the flock, but her efforts have been in vain. She shared her concerns, saying, "I'm surprised that there hasn't been an accident to be honest. We have been trying to find out the owner, we did think it was a certain farmer but it's not who we thought it was. It's been ridiculous, they've been going into gardens, damaging things. A drywall was knocked down in one house and they've been eating hedges and plants. It's been a long time. It's not fair on the sheep either, it's not their fault."
The situation has left residents exasperated, but they are also concerned about the welfare of the sheep. They are aware that the sheep are feral and may be struggling to survive without human intervention. However, they are unable to help without knowing who the owners are.
In the meantime, residents are left with no choice but to deal with the problem on their own. Stephan Jones said, "It's a nightmare but we've given up chasing them away now because we chase them away and they've got nowhere to go, so they just come back."
It is important to note that such incidents are not uncommon in rural areas where flocks of sheep are allowed to roam freely. While the situation in Godre'rgraig is causing inconvenience to residents, it is also a reminder that farmers need to ensure that their livestock are properly contained and managed.