RESIDENTS say they want sheep not second home owners in their picturesque village.

The residents of Hutton-le-Hole, on the North Yorkshire moors, argue that second homes should be outlawed.

Instead, in a newly-published parish plan, they say a more traditional kind of settler should be encouraged to roam in the village - sheep.

These are two of a number of issues raised in the 68-page parish plan, after 80 per cent of residents in the parish responded to a questionnaire from a steering committee appointed to plan future trends in the village, which is listed in the Domesday Book and attracts thousands of visitors a year.

The plan covers housing, transport, the environment, highways, community facilities, recreation, crime and policing and tourism.

Other ideas include asking the police to carry out a survey on the speed of traffic, to have a parish map, to improve the garden area at the rear of the village hall for community use, create a meeting place for young people, and fit goalposts, basketball nets and a play area on the playing field.

Residents say the increasing number of holiday and second homes -which has increased over the past five years from 15 per cent to 22 per cent of the village - is under-mining the village's viability as a year-round community.

The Countryside Agency funded most of the project.

About 30 per cent of the village's residents are retired, nearly 30 per cent are self-employed and 25 per cent are employees.