PONY owners in the New Forest are breathing a sigh of relief now that pigs will roam the area until a week before Christmas.

Members of the Commoners’ Defence Association (CDA), which represents animal owners in the Forest, made their plea to extend the Pannage season this autumn at the Court of Verderers in Lyndhurst.

CDA chairman Graham Ferris said: “The acorn crop this year is very considerable and represents a clear risk to commoners’ livestock.

“But the acorns were late in starting to fall and only began to drop in any number partway through the current Pannage season. Some of our members delayed turning out their pigs as a result.

“We believe there are sufficient acorns to justify a significant extension.”

Dr Ferris urged the Verderers, who administer the communing system, to ask the Forestry Commission to allow the season to continue.

The authorities have listened to the call to extend the Pannage season, the annual event in which pigs are let loose and hoover up fallen acorns that are poisonous to ponies.

And now because of the heavy acorn crop this year, the Pannage season has been extended and will now run until Sunday December 20, by which time all pigs, with the exception of those running on the National Trust Commons in the north of the Forest, must be removed from the Forest.