Warning after wild sugar-crazed ponies of the Quantocks attack humans

A warning has been issued after a herd of wild ponies has become so addicted to sugar they are attacking humans for sweets - even breaking a woman's leg The Quantock ponies have roamed the hills around Bridgwater, Somerset, for around 60 years and used to steer clear of any human visitors. But in recent years they have become accustomed to snaffling leftover picnics and even being hand-fed by visitors bringing Polo mints.



Now authorities have been forced to issue warnings after the ponies have become so sugar-crazed they have become a danger to the public. The Quantock Pony Commoners Association said visitors have been bitten and butted by hungry ponies after a sugar fix - and one woman was left with a broken leg. A spokesperson for the group, which has put up signs, said: "Feeding the ponies is dangerous. By feeding the Quantock ponies you are changing their behaviour and encouraging them to become aggressive.

"There have been recent cases of a pony breaking someone's leg, biting and causing vehicle damage. Do not add to the problem. For your own safety, please stay well clear of the ponies and never feed them." The ponies have grazed the common for 60 years or so, with around 30 on Quantock Common and another 20 on nearby Aisholt Common. The animals are wild and unused to regular human contact, only being rounded up once a year to be checked over, treated and bred. But the association said the ponies are now associating people with food, and there has been a recent increase in people being "hustled" or attacked.



They will approach parked cars and even try to get their heads into car windows for the chance of a sugar fix. Richard Waterman, one of 11 the pony breeders who can let ponies in the area, said: "It's nice for people to come up and take a picnic, we don't want them to stop doing that, but they must not leave food around and they definitely must not feed them by hand. Just the fact of leaving the food around draws the ponies back into this area where there is a road across the hill, and that in itself causes a problem with vehicles driving and incidents where you get the odd pony run over."