Goats used as eco-friendly churchyard lawn mowers

Goats have been introduced as an eco-friendly way of keeping a churchyard in shape.

Narberth Town Council in Pembrokeshire is trialling using the animals at St Andrew's Church to clear excess growth around gravestones and across the site.

The goats come from a business believed to be the only one of its type in the UK which provides the service for the council as well as for a national park and other local churches.

The goats are kept in their designated areas using GPS satellite technology recently shown on Clarkson's Farm, the farming programme of presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

Visitors are being asked to support the scheme by avoiding the grazing goats at work, making sure children are supervised and kept away from them, and by keeping dogs on leads.

It is hoped the goats can be used as a natural and chemical-free method of managing overgrown areas and for controlling brambles and invasive vegetation.

Daily welfare checks will be carried out on them to ensure they are healthy, safe, and well cared for throughout their time on site, the town council said.

The goats themselves come from Clynderwen-based Biogoats 2 Rent run by Richard White and Dawn Hart, who said the goats were already on site at St Andrew's and are expected to remain there for two to three weeks.

Ms Hart said they were also used as a sustainable way of clearing selected natural areas on the Robeston Wathen bypass, as well as at Tenby's St Mary's church, with plans to return there later this summer.

The goats are kept in their designated areas using GPS satellite technology, a process recently shown on Clarkson's Farm.

"I think he stole the idea from us," joked Mr White, who said: "We're the only company in the UK to do this. We get enquiries from all over the UK, but the travel costs can make it unviable for the customers from further away.

"We enjoy what we do and meet some nice people along the way."

The council said in a statement: "Narberth Town Council is continuing its work to enhance the grounds of St Andrew's Church as part of our ongoing biodiversity and environmental improvement programme.

"These goats will help clear excess growth around gravestones and across the site, enabling us to implement a longer-term ground management plan."