"The little bastards chewed through [chicken wire] to reach my vegies," he says.

"If only someone in the ACT Government had the stones to do something ... hey, Andrew."

Mr Toms is campaigning via social media to pressure the ACT government to change the law.

‘‘Should protection be removed in the ACT?’’ he asks on a page he created on Facebook, Possums are pests in Canberra.

‘‘A ‘cull’ perhaps?

‘‘They eat most things I plant – every night they are defecating and urinating on my decks, front and back, waking me most nights.

‘‘I want the law changed in the ACT to allow problem possums to be removed from my property.’’

Mr Toms says possums can carry up to 35 diseases, including leptospirosis, plague and even salmonella.

‘‘[This] can cause serious damage to you and your family’s health,’’ he says. ‘‘Possums may look harmless but what you don’t know is that possums can be very deadly to your health by contaminating your food and water.

‘‘Possums are renowned for breeding prolifically, so the longer you leave those possums alone the more potential danger you face.’’

Neil Harvey, who runs a possum removal service, says the possum problem in Canberra is becoming worse with each breeding season.

The animals are protected and are not allowed to be moved far from their urban habitat.

He says boxes should be put in street trees to house any possum that is caught.

He is licensed to catch possums but also installs temporary one-way trapdoors to block possums from ceiling cavities, once they go out at night to feed.

In response to one comment on the Facebook page, Mr Toms says: ‘‘When my garden has stopped being destroyed and I no longer have to walk in possum crap and piss, I may stop, Adrian. Until such time I will keep harping on as long as I need to ... I speak my mind and never hold back.’’

In an exchange of comments on the page, Mr Barr points out possums are protected under the Nature Conservation Act.

‘‘It is illegal for an unauthorised person to trap or harm them," he says. "Trapping, removing or killing a possum without a licence carries severe penalties.’’

Mr Toms responds: ‘‘So let’s change the law to make it easier to trap and remove the evil fur balls. If it has to be released 20 meters from where it’s caught, there is no point to trapping it in the first place.’’

Mr Barr says: ‘‘The Nature Conservation Act 1980 is the chief legislation for the protection of native plants and animals in the ACT and for the management of the conservation reserve network.

‘‘The Act protects native plants and animals, and provides management authority for conservation lands.

‘‘It provides the legal underpinning of nature conservation policy, management and action across the territory.’’

The Facebook page already has 65 members. It carries a picture of an adult possum eating a strawberry, while a youngster is perched on its back.

Mr Toms did not respond to an invitation through his Facebook page and Mr Barr’s office to comment further.