Cromer goat herd to retire from cliff maintenance duties

The council says the herd of bagot goats is "ageing"

A herd of "much loved" goats which can be seen grazing on a cliff side are to retire from their "council duties".

North Norfolk District Council employs the goats as natural maintenance operatives who graze on vegetation along the cliffs at Cromer.

A herd of eight bagot goats first arrived in April 2016.

Council leader Tim Adams said retiring the herd was "tough, but sensible" because they needed "extensive" welfare and veterinary checks.

The herd currently numbers 12.

The council said there were greater regulatory requirements for animal housing which would have meant the council having to construct new shelters and fencing at the cliff which would need significant investment.

The bagot goats first arrived in Cromer in April 2016 and have grazed on the cliffs during the summer months, ever since

The goats come to Cromer during the summer months and feed on the slopes, which would be difficult to manage with machinery.

Mr Adams, a Liberal Democrat councillor said: "We are proud of the innovative decision to use them as part of our wider coastal maintenance work and they have proved very popular with residents and visitors who have enjoyed spotting them grazing.

"The project has now come to its logical end, with significant investment required to keep it going, and it no longer being practical to resource looking after them."

Mr Adams said members of the council's Environmental Protection Team had been working with the Norfolk Wildlife Trust to make sure the goats had a "well-deserved, happy and healthy retirement".