The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Being used to Fleet Parish Council’s contempt and neglect of residents who pay the council tax for our playing field, I thought they could not shock me anymore or disgust me further, but I was proven wrong this week.
For the sake of their friends who are gradually taking over the field with football pitches which contravene local planning rules (there was only ever one permitted), they decided the moles, which keep the slugs down, should go too.
Their so called ‘catching’ was a cull/slaughter using traps which crush the abdomen. If this is legal, what is the RSPCA doing about it?
I know moles can be a little bit of a nuisance but this is literally overkill.
Dismay and disgust was what my young son and I felt when this was exposed recently.
It went on for a week and a half, only to pause for the now parasitical football matches.
Many people are disgusted but the most dangerous species on the planet, us, generally disregards the cruelty dealt out to animals daily, worldwide. We are all becoming cruel, selfish parasites.
I speak as an ex-butcher who believes, as a Christian and a humane person, we should treat animals we will eat with the best welfare and most humane slaughter. Jail anyone who does otherwise please.
Wild animals deserve kindness and tolerance, not selfish indifference, but as we are now negotiating with this disgusting council for fences they should have put up months ago to protect gardens from footballers, you see what we are dealing with?
This practice must be banned and is it impossible to ‘catch’ moles and transfer them to the local fens?
There is a lot of land around here, pity the footballers do not go there.
Do not misunderstand me, I love to see football on the permitted pitch. My son plays for another village where the residents are more important but residents’ problems with Fleet Parish Council and the football club pale into insignificance compared to the pointless cruelty and slaughter we have just witnessed.
This matter has spoiled the image of a pleasant playing field, where now young children could easily pick up a trap and see the truth – poor old Mr Mole – there goes more of their innocence replaced most likely by nightmares.
As long as the now three football pitches are smooth, that is what the parish council cares about.
I rest my case with the humans who care about all animals.
Steven Joel
Eastgate Gardens
Fleet Hargate
I must question if this article is actually about the culling of moles of the fact that the resident does not like the fact that local children are using the playing field to do something constructive that they really love. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I came across the 4th paragraph of this article where Mr Joel describes the football as ‘parasitical’, maybe if he made the effort to go and watch the 7 and 8 year olds faces when they are running around the pitch on a Saturday (yes 1 day a week for a few hours) then he would change his perception. Shortly the sound of children playing football at fleet will be no more and the red puffed out smiling faces will be gone, then peace may return to those who hold this activity in so much detestation, the question is what will it be replaced with then ?