The normally gentle wild ponies of the Quantock Hills have broken a woman’s leg, bitten and headbutted people, and attacked vehicles after tourists started feeding them treats like chocolate biscuits, sweets and leftovers from picnics.

The horses have also been seen acting aggressively towards each other in order to get food left behind by humans in the remote area of Somerset, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Similar problems have been encountered with seagulls in places like St Ives, where the birds have become expert at taking a mouthful of ice cream, and deer in some areas although actual violence towards humans is rare.

The Quantock Pony Commoners Association warned visitors to the area: “Feeding the ponies is dangerous. By feeding the Quantock ponies you are changing their behaviour and encouraging them to become aggressive.

“There have been recent cases of a pony breaking someone’s leg, biting and causing vehicle damage. Do not add to the problem. For your own safety, please stay well clear of the ponies and never feed them.”

And Richard Waterman, a pony breeder, said: “It’s nice for people to come up and take a picnic – we don’t want them to stop doing that, but they must not leave food around and they definitely must not feed them [the ponies] by hand.