New Forest District Council (NFDC) will extend two rules designed to help protect the New Forest, its wildlife and the safety of people who live in and visit the area.
At their meeting on 1 April 2026, NFDC’s Cabinet agreed to extend the two PSPOs currently in force in the district.
The two Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) prohibit lighting fires and barbeques on the open Forest and feeding or petting free roaming animals such as ponies and donkeys.
The PSPOs were introduced by the council in July 2023 using powers under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. They run for three years and are due to expire on 30 June 2026.
The extended PSPOs will now continue in their current form for a further three years until 2029.
The rules protect the public from anti-social behaviour and reduce the risk of wildfires, protect free roaming livestock from harm and encourage responsible behaviour in the Forest.
Brian Byrne, community safety service manager at NFDC, said: ‘The New Forest is a unique landscape that is valued by residents and visitors alike. These rules help protect the Forest from the very real risk of wildfires and help safeguard the free roaming animals that are such an important part of its character.’
The legal powers sit with NFDC and the orders are delivered through close partnership working with partner organisations responsible for managing and protecting the Forest. Rangers and staff from Forestry England, the New Forest National Park Authority, and the Verderers of the New Forest play an important role in engaging with visitors, explaining the rules and taking proportionate enforcement action where necessary.
Since the orders were introduced in 2023, officers and partner organisations have recorded 2,399 reports of behaviour that breached the rules. This has resulted in engagement with more than 2,000 people to explain the risks and encourage safer behaviour in the Forest.
Before bringing forward the proposal to extend the orders, the council carried out consultation with residents, partner organisations and town and parish councils. More than 800 responses were received from the public, with 98 percent supporting the continuation of the rules on fires and barbeques and 97 percent supporting the continuation of the rules on feeding and petting animals.
[Press release from New Forest District Council]