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Fence cutting in Deri and Fochriw is causing sheep to come down off the mountains and into the villages – causing “frustration” for residents.

Darran Valley’s Labour councillor Robert Chapman told Caerphilly Observer that the fences are being cut by people who want to access off-road bike routes.

“We’ve got quads and off-road bikes coming through the village,” said Cllr Chapman, “all you can see is tracks.”

Cllr Chapman continued: “People are really concerned about the sheep within the villages,” adding that there are fears the livestock will cause accidents or damage and eat flowers in the area. 

Cllr Chapman recently had to report 30 loose sheep in Parc Cwm Darran.

He said the incidents are “random” but he has had to report them on several occasions.

Dawn Bowden, Labour Senedd Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, and Gerald Jones MP have also been consulted.

However, responsibility for the fences lies with Natural Resources Wales, (NRW), who are sometimes “slow” on the repairs, according to Cllr Chapman.

Rhys Handley, land management team leader for NRW said: “We’ve seen a considerable increase in the number of fences in Fochriw and Deri forests that have been cut or damaged recently due to antisocial behaviour.

“Deliberately cutting or damaging fences is illegal and can cause damage to the environment as well as allowing livestock to enter, which can be detrimental to commercial forest blocks.

“Where we have fence line maintenance liability we carry out inspections and repairs. We are currently working to repair the damage that has been caused by antisocial activities in Fochriw and Deri forests, but as the area is at a lower risk of tree damage due to their age, we have to prioritise the repairs against other incidents.

“If you see anyone damaging fencing on land we manage, please call the police on 101 and report the date, time, location and description of damage. You can email your report and police reference number to us at: forestsandnaturesoutheast@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk”

The Welsh government released a new Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy for 2023 to 2025, which acknowledges the “less-populated countryside” can be considered an “easy target”. 

It added that the cost of rural theft alone in Wales in 2021 was £1.3m but this could have been lower than usual due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

Cllr Chapman added that things might be different if there was a licensed place where people could ride their offroad bikes or quads and said: “I just wish there was a place they could go.”