Geese to be evicted from pond as village divided

The two geese both have owners but live on the village pond and roam free

The fate of two geese which live on a village pond has been decided at a heated parish council meeting - with the birds facing eviction.

A large crowd gathered at Stillington Village Hall near York to discuss the welfare of the birds, which both have owners but roam free around the area.

The parish council had already decreed that the geese would have to be rehomed elsewhere and the chairman had to call for order before refusing to grant a reprieve for them.

About 2,000 people had signed a petition to keep the birds on Townend Pond - but the council argued that their safety was at risk if they remained.

Residents filled Stillington Village Hall to discuss the fate of the geese

The white and Chinese geese live next to a main road and council chairman Richard Smyth said there were concerns about traffic.

"One of them was getting out and threatening all sorts of incidents and possible accidents on a very busy road, which the pond is adjacent to," he said.

He reportedly saw the Chinese goose "dancing in the road" and added that it was "an accident waiting to happen".

But the decision left residents feeling they had not been listened to.

Ruth Gaunt, who owns the Chinese goose, said: "I'm just absolutely disgusted, absolutely raving."

Ms Gaunt was surprised by how many people attended the meeting.

"It just showed what compassion and what love there was tonight for our pond."

The white goose is owned by Molly Dickman, who lives across the road and hand-reared the bird in her garden before it began visiting the pond and eventually settled there.

Attendees commented that the community was "richer" for the birds' presence and suggested that signs could be erected to warn drivers about them, but the parish council turned down this suggestion.

Ruth Gaunt, who owns one of the geese, said she was "disgusted" by the decision

However, another resident spoke up to point out that the welfare of the geese needed to be considered and that the pond was not the best place for them.

There were also discussions around avian flu legislation, as restrictions and precautions would apply to domestic birds that have owners.

The parish council said it would now look to return the geese to their owners or rehome them together in a new location.

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