Wednesday, 28 March 2012

In New Addington, Even The Wildlife Is Delinquent!

A sett of belligerent badgers are making residents' lives a misery – digging up flower beds, tearing down fences and attacking family pets.

The audacious pests have been burrowing into the bramble-covered wasteland between Ownsted Hill and Walshingham Road, in New Addington, and launching daring daylight raids on homes and gardens.
I propose the launch of a new legal safeguard – the ‘BASBO’…

Naturally, to the residents of this benighted area, it’s all the responsibility of…the council!
"I telephoned the council in October and we're still waiting to hear from them.

"No one wants to help us."
What can they do?
A Croydon Council spokesman said: "As badgers are an endangered species the council cannot take action to disturb their habitats.

"They are not considered to be a pest and as such do not fall under our pest control services.

"Concerned residents should consider contacting animal welfare organisations like the RSPCA or more specialist bodies such as the Badger Federation for information and advice."
There is a solution. But it comes at a price.
Warwick Reynolds, senior field officer for the East Surrey Badger Protection Society said residents often have to resort to extreme measures to keep the badgers away.

He said: "Electric fences are almost 100 per cent effective, or you could get a licence to close the sett from Natural England.

"You can put up badger-proof fences and bury them six feet down if you get a mini-digger in."
I have to say, if I was unfortunate enough to live in New Addington, I’d probably already have those…
Mr Reynolds added: "I cannot see there is any reason why the council should pay.

"If the people are really concerned about it they will have to pay up."
Oooh, that won’t go down well at all!

6 comments:

Mrs Erdleigh said...

'BASBO' Heh! :-)

Anonymous said...

Didn't Harry Hill used to hold a Badger Parade weekly on one of his early series along with Alan his big brother (aka Al murray - pub landlord)?

That's the trouble, resources removed from the badger community leaves us with bored badgers who have no other outlet for their anger and frustration.
time for millions to be spent on resourcing thinking classes for badgers and some neuro-lingual programming or it's badger equivalent.

Big obstacle is the BAdger Act 1973, you can't touch any bit of a badger without getting into trouble!

Hexe Froschbein said...

Electric fences work???

I believe that when I see btb free cattle farms...

And it's not unreasonable to expect the state to pay for the damage, since the state forces people to put up with diseased, house-destroying varmint.

DerekP said...

A very good example of what always happens in a power vacuum:

people prevented (by the State) from taking defensive action will find nuisances/aggressors (or the State?) take that as an opportunity to encroach further.


Two thoughts:
- don't let the State deprive you of your freedom to protect yourself and your home;

- when the State does try to prevent you from acting in your own defence maybe it's time to restrict the State and its political agents?

James K said...

The Daily Mail recently had a story about a badger sett that is undermining houses in Stourbridge. In a sane world, the badgers would be humanely killed, and the sett would be pumped full of cement. Badgers have a high level of legal protection, because they are persecuted for the "sport" of badger baiting, so the unfortunate homeowners are in a fix.

JuliaM said...

"That's the trouble, resources removed from the badger community leaves us with bored badgers who have no other outlet for their anger and frustration. "

*chuckle*

"The Daily Mail recently had a story about a badger sett that is undermining houses..."

Yes, that one's coming up on Sunday!