A PUB boss has hit back in a row over ducks that were given their flying orders from a village pond.

Tempers have reached such a point that staff at The Springhead at Sutton Poyntz have been getting abusive phone calls from people angry about the birds’ removal.

Pub director Richard Treadwell shifted the seven tame birds from a duck house in the pub’s grounds for public health reasons.

Leftover grain had attracted vermin to the pub, which is also home to him and wife Debbie and their children Sarah, nine, and Olivia, seven.

But the decision has angered some locals who claim a part of village life has disappeared.

Mr Treadwell hit back at claims the pond is no longer ‘duckless’ stating that it is still visited by many wild ducks. He said that they can be clearly seen in a photograph being fed by his daughters and he said he looked forward to seeing wild ducks returning to the pond for years to come.

Mr Treadwell, who has run The Springhead for three years, said if villagers were so upset why didn’t one of them offer to house the ducks themselves. He has moved them to a farm in Dorset.

The landlord also criticised people who had phoned the pub anonymously to vent their anger at the situation. The callers were abusive to staff who had nothing to do with the decision, he said.

Mr Treadwell said: “The ducks were housed at night on land at the front of our property. They were put away in a hutch and fed with grain in the enclosure morning and evening. Excessive grain in and around the enclosure attracted vermin. We asked for the ducks to be removed from the property to eradicate this problem, which we felt essential as The Springhead is a quality food-led pub and restaurant and our home.”

Mr Treadwell admitted he knew a few people might be upset by the decision but maintained it was a problem that had to be resolved.

He added: “In the past villagers arranged a rota to feed and look after the tame ducks so why don’t we arrange a rota to ensure the wild ones are kept fed, thus ensuring ducks remain a permanent feature on the pond in Sutton Poyntz.”