Eco Friendly Lawn Mowers

Brighton and Hove council have employed new staff that have a unique approach to cutting the grass. Sheep have been ‘employed’ by Brighton and Hove council to eat the grass that needs to be dealt with in more rural areas. By employing this method the council have managed to cut costs from £25,000 to £1,800 a year, the sheep are also eco friendly as well as cost effective as sheep graze selectively which cause uneven results that encourage the growth of wild flowers. Residents were asked to get involved to be shepherds/or lookerers and were trained how to keep an eye on the sheep that were being loaned by local farms in East Sussex.

Maria Caulfield became one of 73 shepherds, following a one-day course where she learned how to round up a flock and what to do in an emergency. She says, ‘We keep an eye out for dogs and round the sheep up if needs be. Last year, we did keep losing one that kept disappearing into the local scout hut. None of us ever worked out how he got there.’

From now until March the 200 flock of sheep will be grazing in six fenced off and other places such as the Downs. More are also being brought into more urban areas such as local nature reserves in Hollingbury and in the Whitehawk Hill area of east Brighton.