§ 72. Sir C. Osborneasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why 382 the representations made by the Theddlethorpe Parish Council to him last November about the damage done by foxes and rabbits in the sand dunes have produced no effective action; and, in view of the council's further representations, what steps he now proposes to take.
§ Mr. Scott-HopkinsThe legal responsibility for destroying foxes and rabbits rests with the occupiers of the land in question, although the Ministry's officers will give what help they can. They have put the chief occupier in touch with a pests operator and it may be that something can be done by way of shooting and gassing. Unfortunately, this is a very difficult area to clear.
§ Sir C. OsborneWill my hon. Friend remember that it was this part of Lincolnshire which suffered so badly during the floods of 1953, when many lives were lost because the sand dunes were ineffective? Will he help the local authorities to reassure people that this kind of thing will not happen again?
§ Mr. Scott-HopkinsWe will do all we can to help the local authorities but I must point out that part of the difficulty is that scrub, which harbours foxes and so on, must not be cut down, because to do so weakens the dunes' resistance to pressure from the sea.