NEW Forest villagers have complained that biting ponies are forcing them off Barton Common.

The animals were introduced to the common last summer, for the first time in half a century, to keep scrub and grass under control, create a more diverse habitat and enable wildlife to flourish.

However, several residents using the common have complained about the ponies' behaviour, with some boycotting the area amid reports of people being bitten and chased.

David Palmer and his wife Ruth were out with their daughter and pet Labrador when all five ponies on the common ran towards them.

Mr Palmer, 53, said: "They just looked up and came at us. I shouted and waved my arms and they did stop.

"Now my wife won't walk there. She feels intimidated."

Another victim, a woman working as a housekeeper in one of the luxury detached houses overlooking the common, said: "I was walking near the golf course when one of the ponies suddenly trotted towards me and stopped a few feet away.

"He was looking at me in an intimidating manner as if to say 'go away'.

"I've heard of ponies following people and rearing up. A lot of walkers are staying away from the common as a result."

Some villagers have called for the animals to be removed and replaced with cows.

Warning signs have been placed at entrances urging walkers to steer clear of the ponies, which were introduced to the land by New Milton Town Council.

A council spokesman said wildlife on the common had flourished in the past few months, adding that the majority of people who used the facility wanted the ponies to remain.

He said: "They have been carefully selected as animals that are used to people and dogs and have a good temperament.

"However, walkers are asked to keep their dogs under control and not feed the ponies, which can encourage them to approach people."

The news comes exactly a year after a spate of donkey attacks in another part of the forest.

Last summer Jenny Caine was surrounded by a group of five donkeys at Hatchet Pond, near Beaulieu, while taking bread to feed the ducks.

She was bitten on the back and knocked to the ground, causing her to drop her five-year-old daughter. Days later, a 12-year-old girl was bitten at the same spot.