Biker's fears over 'Russian roulette' with deer

A motorcyclist says he fears for his safety after his wife's car was seriously damaged in a collision with a deer.

Simon Ingle has called for a cull of the animals after a rise in collisions in Lincolnshire in recent months.

His wife Joanne was unhurt in the incident near Welby on Monday morning, but Mr Ingle warned motorcyclists were vulnerable.

"Every time I get on my bike, I'm effectively playing a game of Russian roulette," he said.

Lincolnshire Police issued a warning to motorists in May after receiving 50 reports of incidents involving deer within a month.

Mr Ingle believes a cull is the only way to control the numbers.

He said: "In my mind, a business or organisation that can cull these deer humanely is the only solution."

The Lincolnshire Deer Group, which is called to collisions to humanely put animals down, agreed that may be the only answer.

"Deer travel all over the place at night and can cause mayhem,” Stephen Heath, a volunteer with the group, said.

"They have no predators other than cars and bullets. In the current situation, humane culling is the only option.”

Last month, Det Con Aaron Flint, of Lincolnshire Police, warned motorists to take care in the countryside because "deer can burst out in front of you".

However, Mr Ingle said driving more slowly would not solve the problem.

"I've nearly hit a deer on my pushbike, let alone a car," he said. "The roads are dangerous enough. But deer, they haven't done the Green Cross Code.

"We've got to find a solution. I think the only solution is a cull and we need to do that cull with an element of urgency."

Animal rights charity PETA said in 2023 that shooting the animals was an "ineffective way of dealing with booming deer numbers".

Jennifer White, from the charity, said: "We owe it to them to find a way to live in harmony that doesn't involve blasting them out of the country with a shotgun."

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs launched a consultation on how to manage deer populations in 2022. The results are yet to be published.

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