New herd of Dartmoor ponies will boost Brecks heathland

A new herd of endangered Dartmoor ponies have been brought in to help maintain the biodiversity of a forest.

Fifteen ponies will join 119 others already roaming the Thetford heathland in Norfolk.

Jonathan Preston, of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, said: "They're effectively green lawnmowers, they'll come in and graze the sward right down to the floor."

The Dartmoor pony is officially recognised as a rare native breed.

The new herd for Thetford has come from breeders in Devon, where the animals originate from.