And Finally... Village invaded by ravenous wild pigs

Nearly a dozen of the beasts spent half an hour rummaging through bin bags before being frightened off.

Roxanne Blake, 23, who took photos of them outside her home, said yesterday: "The two in my rubbish were the biggest I've ever seen.

"There were about nine more among my neighbours' rubbish "They were picking up the rubbish bags and shaking them until they ripped open.

"They're the size of big dogs. I wouldn't approach them as they're known to be aggressive. I think they're getting used to humans and getting braver now, like urban foxes."

She had been alerted by her partner that rubbish bags he put out the previous night had been ripped apart.

Mum-of-one Roxanne, of Buckfast in the Forest of Dean, Glos, said: "He texted me on his way out to say he thought some foxes had got into the bin bags.

"I looked out the window at about 10.30am to see how much rubbish there was to pick up - and saw two wild boar in the rubbish.

"I've seen wild boar before, but only in the forest. I guess they're really hungry because it's been so snowy, but I have never seen them so bold."

The ravenous animals left rubbish strewn across driveways and gardens in the village.

They were eventually scared off by a Forestry Commission worker.

Wild boar used to live naturally in the Forest of Dean until they died out 700 years ago. But they were illegally reintroduced to the area six years ago and have since flourished.

More than 150 are now believed to roam the 35sq mile Forest of Dean. It means the area has one of Britain's biggest wild boar populations, behind Kent and East Sussex.

The Forestry Commission was given Government permission last week to cull the Forest of Dean population to 100 amid fears they have been damaging the woodland.

Two years ago, an aggressive boar had to be shot at a primary school in Ruardean, Glos.

The animals damaged a football pitch in nearby Ruspidge last year and local gardeners have also complained about damage to their patches. Specially trained marksmen will carry out the cull but will spare feeding sows.