THERE was added chaos for hill farmers on Dartmoor during the snow when people went sledging and snowboarding on private land, Dartmoor Commoners' Council has reported.

Field gates were left open and livestock escaped, said commoners' council secretary Cherry Seage: 'It was very frustrating for farmers who were were having a great deal of difficulty feeding their animals during this period anyway.

'There seemed to be total disregard for agricultural practices because people were just going through gateways and leaving them open and in some cases taking gates down. As a result, stock was getting out onto the road.'

There were widespread problems with reports of people sledging on private land and not the moor at Sheepstor, Bridestowe, Haytor and Pork Hill just outside Tavistock.

Cherry Seage is hoping people will show more understanding to farmers if the area is hit by further snow.