A RAMBLER has spoken of his shock after being attacked by a group of pigs at a New Forest beauty spot.

The four young porkers charged Paul Lipscombe, a retired photography lecturer, as he strolled close to Mill Lawn, near Burley.

The stunned 64-year-old was bitten by the lead animal, then as he backed off the others continued advancing on him.

Then, while composing himself following the attack, he witnessed the same group of pigs, each as big as a medium-sized dog, charge two young women across a small river.

Paul told the Echo: “The women actually ran through the brook to get away, but the pigs chased them through the water.”

The photographer, who had his camera with him, said he was too shook up by the incident to think of taking any pictures. “As absurd as it sounds,” he added “It appeared like they were out for trouble - like a gang of teenagers. They appeared to be quite young pigs, and I’m not sure they should be in the forest at that age.

“The teeth of these things looked sharp enough to take a finger off.”

Paul, from Nelson Road, Westbourne, Bournemouth, is now being treated by his GP with a course of strong antibiotics, following Wednesday’s 11am attack.

He explained: “All of a sudden I saw these four young pigs, which more or less came out of nowhere, making a beeline towards me. I’m used to animals, so it didn’t bother me. That was until the leader, and there was a clear leader of the group, ran straight into me and bit me on the knee.”

About 200 yards from the spot, Paul said, he saw two younger women walking a dog. “The pigs then went for them,” he recalled. “These two women chose to go straight across a small river to get away from them, but the pigs were straight in the water and up the other side after them. I don’t know the outcome of that encounter, but certainly the pigs were acting really aggressively.”

New Forest Verderers clerk Sue Westwood said: “At this stage we are looking into the situation to ascertain exactly what took place and trying to identify the pigs in question.”