Somerset snail farmer wants to make county 'snail central'

Lyn Paxman currently has 2,000 snails at her home in Somerset but will increase that to 300,000

A snail breeder is planning to increase the numbers she rears in Somerset to 300,000 by next year.

Lyn Paxman currently has 2,000 snails at her West Buckland home. She is increasing the number for her snail meat and snail egg caviar business.

The animals will be confined to their enclosures using "tiny electric fences".

Ms Paxman said only minimal land was needed and snail meat had a low carbon-footprint.

"Their slime is also used in wrinkle treatments at snail spas, but I'm not sure how that would go down," she said.

The 51-year-old came up with the idea of breeding snails after buying a house with land near Wellington.

"I was Googling what to do and I came across snail farming," she said.

"You only need half an acre to start a snail farm and it just ticked so many boxes and we decided to go for it."

Ms Paxman wants to make Somerset "snail central"

"In Somerset, locally foraged snails were used in a hugely popular dish known as Mendip wallfish in the 50's," she said.

"I don't really understand why it's died out here."

It takes nine months to rear snails from egg to fully-grown adult

Breeding will take place in a room designed to trick hibernating snails into thinking it is spring.

The tens of thousands of hatchlings will then be released into large enclosures.

"They actually do need containing so we're installing tiny little electric fences to stop them from crawling too high," she said.

"We don't want a big rebellion of snails invading the neighbourhood."

Ms Paxman also hopes to set up a "snail school" to teach other people how to farm them.