THREE wildfowl breeders, whose clients include Regent's Park in London, have been told to quit their picturesque Hampshire homes and remove more than 1,000 birds within months.

The Forestry Commission has decided to evict them after 40 years and put their two homes up for sale.

Peter and Chris Mays and neighbour Wendy Lander say they were given verbal assurances that the homes would not be sold.

Now they face finding new homes and closing their Holmsley Wildfowl breeding business, the largest in the country.

It means disposing of 70 species of wildfowl from around the world, many rare and endangered, kept on the 13-acre site.

Leaseholder Mrs Lander, 72, moved to Holmsley Lodge 40 years ago and was followed months later by Peter, 71, and wife Chris, 67, who moved into next door Shrike Cottage, a derelict building at the time.

They worked tirelessly seven days a week for 15 years to landscape the land and create 80 ponds for the birds, while raising nine children between them.

They also spent thousands on improvements to the properties, which are now worth more than £1m.

However, the Forestry Commission decided not to renew a 15-year lease, giving them 42 days' notice to move out by June 23.

Mrs Lander said: "I was completely devastated and gobsmacked. After 40 years they just said we were out."

Mr Mays added: "They just want money to plug a hole. If they insist on getting us out then some of the birds will have to be destroyed. We won't be able to sell them all in time.

"Why didn't they let us know five years ago that they didn't intend to renew the lease? Then we wouldn't have spent money on improvements and livestock."

New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne has raised their case with the minister for agriculture, fisheries and food, who has the final say on the sale.

Mr Swayne said that it was short-term revenue gain against the long-term interests of Commoning in the Forest.

"It's very tempting to sell these properties. That's not what they are for. They are there to provide a base for Commoning and could be available for use by Commoners in the future," he said.

The New Forest Association, a conservation group, has also urged the Forestry Commission to call off the sale.

Mr Mays and Mrs Lander made a presentation to the Court of Verderers, the guardians of the New Forest, on Wednesday to highlight their plight.

Forestry Commission deputy surveyor Mike Seddon said that it had a duty to maximise public benefit from land and property under its management.

He said: "We retain property in the New Forest for either provision of housing for employees or affordable housing for Commoners.

"We do not consider these two properties fit into these criteria."