Residents have spoken of their anger at the damage escaped pigs have caused to a graveyard in Rotherham.
The council has put up fences around the graves at St Gerard’s Church in Thrybergh which backs onto a local primary school, amid concerns the graves were being vandalised by “pigs that are fighting for survival”.
The pigs reportedly escaped a nearby field where they were being neglected and were digging up the ground looking for food.
One local resident who wished to remain anonymous spoke of how the situation caused upset and anguish in the local community.
She said: “I’ve seen people come to school this morning, where the loved ones are buried and cry, because they can’t grieve for the relatives in peace. And it’s not fair.
“There is disregard for the children’s emotional well-being and education because, as you can see, the classrooms are there, they can see this. And before this fence which was put here yesterday, the pigs were trampling all over the graves.
“And some of these children their grandparents and relatives are buried here and they don’t need to be seeing that.”
Local residents also spoke of concerns about safety with the pigs wandering free.
Nicole Louise O’Halloran said on Facebook: “We are terrified of getting out of our cars in the car park in case the pigs attack. They are so close to the fence and just roaming free.”
Another resident Maria Simpson commented on Facebook: “This has totally destroyed my neighbour who’s got her brother and mum in the graveyard. It’s hard getting over the death of a loved one, never mind watching it being vandalised by pigs that are technically fighting for survival.”
Speaking to the Rotherham Advertiser, Rotherham Council’s acting head of community safety and regulatory services, Emma Ellis, said the pigs have been caught.
She said: “We have been working with South Yorkshire Police, DEFRA and partners to investigate this matter and locate the animals.
“This matter has now been positively resolved as the pigs have been captured humanely and they will be rehomed.
“We thank local residents for their patience while we resolved this situation.”
