Visitors to New Forest to be fined up to £1,000 for petting ponies

Rules will also include ban on campfires and barbecues as part of a crackdown on antisocial behaviour

Visitors to the New Forest face being fined up to 1,000 for petting ponies and for lighting campfires and barbecues, as part of measures to tackle antisocial behaviour.

The new rules, approved by New Forest district council, ban the petting and feeding of animals out of concern for their wellbeing and to prevent them from becoming aggressive.