Owners 'distraught' as geese removed by council

The geese have been removed by Stillington Parish Council

The owners of two geese which lived on a village pond said they were "distraught" at the removal of the birds by the parish council, which ruled they had to be rehomed.

The white and Chinese geese were removed from Townend Pond in Stillington on Wednesday night, after the council said in September they posed a safety risk.

Owners Ruth Gaunt and Vicky Inman said the location of the bonded pair remained unknown and that villagers were concerned for their welfare.

In a letter posted to residents, Stillington Parish Council said it had "moved the geese to a safer environment" but did not confirm the birds' new location.

"Everybody loves the geese, it's just part of the village, having a pond with wildlife on is gorgeous, they just give so much joy," Ms Gaunt said.

The pair had lived on the pond, located off High Street in Stillington, for more than two years but the location next to a main road caused councillors concern.

In the eviction letter, the council said the birds "which stray onto the road, could cause an accident and injury to themselves or the public".

Ms Gaunt and Ms Inman said the birds had never been the cause of any incidents, adding that the only time they left the pond was when it was dredged.

At a meeting in September, the council was presented with a petition signed by 2,000 people calling for the geese to remain, but it declined to grant a reprieve.

It said it had received "both criminal and civil" legal threats and therefore held a meeting excluding press and public to seek legal advice.

Following this, it issued Ms Gaunt and Ms Inman a letter of abatement on 7 October.

Ms Gaunt said she and Ms Inman wanted to know their geese were safe

This gave them 14 days' notice to remove the geese from the pond, but Ms Gaunt and Ms Inman refute the reasons given for issuing the abatement.

In response, about 60 people came together to acquire shared ownership of the birds in a last-ditch bid to let the pair remain.

This was relayed to the council alongside the rebuttal of the reasons for eviction.

Ms Gaunt, who owns the Chinese goose, said she had reported the removal of the geese to North Yorkshire Police.

When contacted, the force said it could not comment.

Following the birds' removal, Ms Gaunt said she felt there was "tension" in the village but that she and Ms Inman had received support from other residents.

"It's just shown this massive get-together of support, it's actually made the village much, much stronger," she said.

When contacted for comment, Stillington Parish Council referred the BBC to the letter sent to residents addressing the removal of the geese.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.