Family 'heartbroken' after wild boar trash Forest of Dean campsite

Spencer Pettit told ITV News' Ken Goodwin the damage was "heartbreaking".

Wild boar have partially destroyed part of a campsite in the Forest of Dean just a year after new owners took on the business.

Bracelands in Coleford has been hit by the animals before and now the new owners are determined to keep them out, repair the damage, and have installed new fences to stop it from happening again.

The campsite owner, Spencer Pettit, said: "Well the best way I have been describing it to friends and family that I’ve been talking to, it looks like a mechanical digger has gone through and turned it up.

"For somebody who’s never experienced boar damage before, you would never believe that an animal was able to do this and in such a relatively short space of time, it’s heartbreaking to see isn’t it?"

Spencer took over Bracelands last April, but didn't get off to a good start due to the wet summer. This damage was not what he needed.

"We were so fortunate to get the site. It’s a lifelong dream really to own and operate a campsite.

"But it is only our first year of trading so we are a little bit nervous now about what the future holds because not having had a trading history behind us, we were not quite sure how badly this might affect us in the long run."

The natural environment of the wild boar is the forest floor where they use their incredibly strong snouts to grub up all the acorns and bugs.

The boar, which were illegally introduced into the forest back in 2004, don't mind where they root about.

The forestry commission recommends boar proof fencing to keep them out and Spencer has already had his rebuilt.