A British local council is making strides with its scheme to use urban flocks of sheep to reduce its grass-cutting bill.

Brighton and Hove council has a waiting list for volunteer shepherds that will tend to the flocks of sheep borrowed from local farms and put out to graze on local land alongside housing estates and schools, reports the Guardian newspaper.

The scheme, which was trialled last year, is now being rolled out to urban locales.

The council’s bill for cutting and removing grass has risen to $44,800 (£25,000) a year. In contrast, its urban shepherd scheme is costing just $3,200 (£1,800) a year.