Havering Council decides to replace park staff with Cows

Havering council have brought in a number of Red Poll Cattle cows to help cut the grass in the boroughs parks

Red Poll Cattle are known for their ability to keep grass under control (Wikimedia Commons)

A council hopes to trim a bit off its grass-cutting budget when they bring in a workforce of cows to help keep the grass under control in its parks this summer.

Havering Council in east London has decided to bring a group of Red Poll Cattle to Bedfords Park near Havering-atte-Bower and allow them to take over grass-cutting duties from the council’s regular park keepers.

The cows will not only cut down on staff wages, they will also replace the costly tractors that used to mow Bedfords Park grass.

Havering council will not only be benefitting from what goes in, they will also see a return on what goes out, with the cows' pats being used as extra fertiliser for park staff.

The Red Poll Cattle come with a decent CV and are renowned for their grass cutting capabilities.

They are often used as part of conservation grazing schemes to try and boost the biodiversity of grasslands, and similar schemes have already been used by Havering Council at Hornchurch Country Park and the Rainham Gateway Greenspace.

Ray Bowler from the Red Poll Society was enthusiastic about the introduction of the cows to Park.

He told the Romford Recorder: The Red Poll is ideally suited to the type of grazing that is found in the countryside parks environment.”

“They are a docile breed which is ideal when there is the public around.

He added: “They are not a particularly large breed so don’t churn up the land if it becomes wet. They are very hardy which means they can stay outside all year round if necessary.