Death of goose at Beyton, near Bury St Edmunds, reported to Suffolk Police but Mulleys bus company says ‘driver not at fault’

The death of a goose that has caused upset in a village was not deliberate, a bus company has said.

The goose is said to have been run over by a bus in Beyton, near Bury St Edmunds, close to the entrance of the Beyton Sixth site on November 29.

The gaggle of geese that roams the green is synonymous with Beyton and the bird has been the subject of fierce debate in the village in the past with discussions over the safety of the geese, as a number were hit by vehicles and died.

Beyton Parish Council chairman Graham Jones collected the body of the goose last week from the edge of the road at the green.

“The poor thing had been run over and it was left there so I brought it back,” he said. “The goose itself was in pristine condition, apart from being dead of course.

“It was really pristine and they all are this time of year. They are really very healthy.”

The parish council sought advice from the the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and reported the incident to the police.

However, a spokesman for Suffolk Police said: “It’s not a criminal offence to accidentally run over a goose.”

The bus in question is understood to be from Mulleys.

Jayne Munson, director of Mulleys, told the Bury Free Press they were made aware of the incident by a member of the parish council.

She said: “The alleged vehicle was not at our depot at the time to allow us to view the CCTV immediately. Not accepting this and jumping to conclusions, they saw fit to report the alleged incident to the police.

“Since viewing the footage, we can confirm our driver was not at fault.”

The parish council wants to view the footage, but the Mulleys director said ‘it would be unlawful for us to allow them to view it’ and added it would be made available to the police on request.

In an update, Suffolk Police confirmed they had viewed the footage and ‘no crime had been committed’.

Mulleys has said it will accept an apology from Beyton Parish Council regarding this matter.

Mr Jones said villagers were upset by the death of the goose.

“They are the emblem of the village,” he said. “They are on our village sign and the majority of people like them. There are people who would prefer they weren’t there for various reasons.

“At the end of the day, it’s an animal. It got run over and the circumstances we don’t know. It would be good to know the circumstances.”

He said it must have been some years, prior to this incident, since a goose died on the road in Beyton. There are now five geese, he added.

He asked motorists to be mindful of the geese when driving through the village. “They are big and white and walk very slowly,” he added.