THERE was joy in the New Forest yesterday as leading opponents of plans to privatise the country’s forests and woodlands celebrated the government’s U-turn.

But the euphoria is tempered by concerns there could be some nasty surprises to come if the government chooses to reintroduce the idea at a later date.

Hundreds of New Forest campaigners are still expected to turn up for a rally at Lyndhurst at noon tomorrow.

Official Verderer Oliver Crosthwaite Eyre, who had warned that any charity running the New Forest would have to start imposing charges, said: “It’s a happy day, but I’m still watching very carefully.”

He said the decision “proves that the government is able to listen and then act... and we hope that the forest will now be left as a public asset run by the Forestry Commission in perpetuity”.

New Forest Association chairman William Ziegler said: “There’s definitely a mood of celebration in the air today.”

“The government moved too fast,” he said, “They didn’t read the signs and stirred up middle England.”

Rally organiser, Forestry Commission employee George Whitcher, said: “It will be a celebration, but we hope that we will be the people doing the job in the future.

“There are issues still not resolved yet.”

New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne, who had supported the plans, said: “I accept this was very badly presented and a rightly sceptical public gave it the thumbs down.

“Now back to the drawing board.

“Undoubtedly some of the policy will have to be junked, but we will have to go back to the people who know about these things, the National Trust, the Woodland Trust, and talk to them.”

New Forest East MP Dr Julian Lewis, who had opposed the plan, said: “The government always said it was going to consult the public and on this occasion the reaction was so negative that they didn’t need to wait for the end of the consultation process before pulling the plug.”