In news that sounds like it has come direct from an early draft of the screenplay of a spoof New Zealand horror movie, concerns have been raised that a sleepy Welsh village could be terrorised by a flock of stoned sheep on a “psychotic rampage” after cannabis plants were dumped on a remote hillside.
Illegal dumping or fly tipping is a big problem in rural Wales, and it now appears that the remains of an illegal cannabis factory was dumped on grazing land; and a local representative is claiming that sheep may have been munching the marijuana.
County councilor Ioan Richard told the Daily Telegraph that the sheep already have form for “roaming the village” and causing havoc by breaking into homes.
Richard said: “They are getting in people’s gardens and one even entered a bungalow and left a mess in the bedroom. I dread to think what will happen if they eat what could well be cannabis plants—we could have an outbreak out of psychotic sheep rampaging through the village.”
The councilor has highlighted the illegal dumping of the cannabis plants as part of a wider campaign against illegal fly tipping in the countryside in his area.
However, Leanne Philips, a barmaid at the Masons Arms in the village of Rhydypandy, told The Daily Beast: “We haven’t got any psychotic sheep here—at least they are no worse than they usually are. There are always sheep in and out of people’s gardens.
“My educated guess, having lived a long time around sheep, is that if they had consumed the cannabis, they would have then eaten a bit more of the normal grass and then gone to sleep.”
However, she added that there is a serious issue with fly tipping in the area and that the councilor was right to try to draw attention to the problem.
“There is a problem with fly tipping here. These plants were dumped about two minutes away from the pub. It is a beautiful area we live in, but it is very isolated, with a lot of mountain roads and lanes. There are significant charges at the local dump, so some people think it’s OK just to chuck their junk out on the roadside.”
A Swansea Council spokesman said it acted swiftly to clear the cannabis remains. On whether or not the sheep had got there first, there has been no comment.