GUARDIANS of the New Forest are being urged to prevent grazing land being fenced off by private landowners.

The issue was raised at the Court of Verderers in Lyndhurst by the Commoners Defence Association (CDA), which represents the owners of the ponies and cattle that roam the Forest.

CDA spokesman Michael Cooper urged the Verderers to intervene.

He said: "For a significant period of time our committee have been dealing with a number of reports concerning encroachments.

"Some of these amount to a few feet while others involve considerable areas of land."

Experts Mr Cooper said legal experts had looked at the complaints but lack of local knowledge had prevented them from reaching a satisfactory conclusion.

He added: "The association is limited in what it can achieve in such situations and with this in mind we now turn to the Verderers.

"Under the 1877 New Forest Act it's their duty to protect the grazing land of the New Forest by inquiring into all unlawful enclosures, encroachments and trespass.

"We seek to work with the Verderers, offering what help we can, so that a satisfactory and binding solution can be found."

The Official Verderer, Oliver Crosthwaite Eyre, said the matter would be discussed in committee but warned that the 1877 Act was "loosely drafted".