Council considers using bulls to stop 'doggers'

A council is considering using a herd of bulls to deter drivers stopping at a lay-by for casual sex. Surrey County Council chiefs have discussed packing a field with cattle after a spate of complaints about outdoor public sex. More than 300 residents of Puttenham have written to the council complaining that a field near the Hog’s Back lay-by on the A31 was 'being used for all kinds of sexual activity night and day’ by doggers. They said that children at the Puttenham Church of England Infant School can see the couples from the playground and demanded the council 'do something about it’.

Surrey County Council, however, refused to shut the lay-by and Hog’s Back Cafe down saying it would be 'unfair on legitimate visitors’, but discussed various tactics to stop doggers congregating at the site – including putting bulls in the field. Campaigner Jules Perkins said she was 'devastated’ when the council said it would not close the lay-by, adding: “It’s scary that the general public is beholden to people like this. They just didn’t seem to have much idea about the issue and we are utterly disappointed with the decision not to close the lay-by.” Speaking about the idea of putting bulls into the field to deter the doggers, Mrs Perkins said: “I have to say that some of the comments from the cabinet were quite frightening, such as the suggestion to put bulls in the field. What a ridiculous idea.”



Local Sarah Green, 32, said today: “How the council can sit there with straight faces and suggest putting a herd of bulls in a field to stop people having sex in it is almost too ridiculous to contemplate. There are more than 300 people behind closing the lay-by and the council has just ignored our very genuine concerns and come up with a suggestion which can only be described as moronic. Do they really think a bunch of perverts are going to be put off by a few bulls in a field? It will probably make them even more excited.”

Leader of the council Dr Andrew Povey said: “The cabinet is not convinced that closing the lay-by would solve this problem.” He admitted there had been several 'mad ideas’ to solve the dogging problem, including cops walking their police dogs in the area, but said the idea of putting livestock – particularly bulls – into the field was 'viable’ He said: “Someone also said there could be livestock in those fields. This seems to me to be a perfectly viable option.” A decision on how to deal with the doggers is set to be taken later this year by Surrey County Council chiefs.