WHISKERED wild boars could soon be spotted with their snouts down, snuffling their way through the Lake District's woods in their search for their favourite food of acorns.

In recent years the bristly species has been spreading across southern England and has also been spotted in Norfolk, Northumberland and Norwich.

And last week there was a sighting of one of the creatures in the Scottish Highlands, sparking speculation that the creature could soon become resident throughout Britain.

The wild boar is believed to have become extinct around 300 years ago. But since the 1970s, escapees from wildlife parks and farms have been breeding in the wild, possibly also breeding with domestic pigs to form a hybrid.

Now boar expert Martin Goulding believes the wild boar population, which is presently between 500 and 1,000 strong, will soon establish a foothold in South Lakeland, which boasts an excellent habitat for the creatures.

Dr Goulding, a former Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) scientist who set up the website www.britishwildboar.org.uk, said that the animals could arrive in the area within five and 20 years.

"It is only a matter of time before wild boar colonise the rest of Britain. They have no natural predators in this country, such as lynx or wolf. The only thing that is controlling their spread is people shooting at them.

"An area like Cumbria is quite rugged and there are lots of places for wild boars to hide. There is such lovely habitat that once you have got them there, you will never get rid of them!" he said.

Although boars are generally thought of as woodland animals, they are happy in a range of habitats and could even move into urban areas, as they have done in Germany.

Dr Goulding said a Cumbrian colony of wild boars could arrive on foot.

"Wild boars are very good travellers, they travel for miles in the nights, although the sows remain close to where they came from.

"The boars that move from further afield are the sub dominant variety that travel long distances trying to find territory where they can be in control.

"They can travel hundreds of kilometres. I once tracked one animal over 20 miles in a night."

Dr Goulding said that if the animals became more widespread, eventually it would become inevitable that their populations would have to be controlled.

But he added that in general people would have nothing to fear from the animals.

A recent DEFRA consultation highlighted the fact that in France, where the species is more common, the animals are a pest to farmers and cost £10m of compensation for damage to property each year.

It also highlights the fact that wild boar pose a risk to domestic wildlife as a potential reservoir for disease and could also be a danger on the roads.

Peter Gott, who breeds wild boar in 25 acres of woodland on his farm outside Kendal, said that the difference between boars and domestic pigs was apparent after seeing the animals at close quarters.

He said that that the pigs had honed their intelligence after years of fending for themselves in the wild.

"Being a farmer of both wild boar and pigs, you see how clever they are compared with pigs," he said.