WILD ponies have been brought in to an East Yorkshire nature reserve to keep grass levels down for birds.

Blacktoft Sands, near Goole, has released four Konik ponies onto the land to graze and reduce the need for mechanical grass cutting, having adopted a similar initiative at its other UK reserves. Mike Andrews, RSPB Blacktoft Sands visitor officer, said: “We think the ponies will be a real hit with our visitors, but while they are generally placid and look cute, they are still essentially wild animals so we are asking people not to pet them and to keep a respectful distance.”