Cromer bagot goats to be used for breeding in Thetford

The bagot goats were introduced to Cromer in 2016 but can now be found at Cranwich Heath in Thetford

A herd of goats who were retired from their grazing duties at cliff edges in Norfolk will be used for breeding elsewhere in the county, conservationists have said.

The rare breed bagot goats were first introduced to Cromer in 2016 to help manage the vegetation.

They were taken to Thetford by Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) earlier this year.

NWT said the 12 Cromer goats would be paired up with six other bagots to help boost their numbers.

"There's very few of them left so we are hoping to up their numbers with our breeding programme," said Laura Davey, from NWT.

Laura Davey hopes the Norfolk Wildlife Trust can increase the number of bagot goats with their breeding programme

Since the goats were taken to Cranwich Heath in Thetford, Ms Davey said they had settled in well.

"The goats are more browsers.. they will eat a lot of the brambles which we are trying to keep down and they will take a lot of the leaves off the trees and help keep them small so they don't overgrow," she explained.

"If I was a goat, I think this would be the place to be."

North Norfolk District Council had said retiring the goats at Cromer was "tough, but sensible" because they needed "extensive" welfare and veterinary checks.