Vandals have damaged wildlife protection installed by volunteers at Hoppit Mead Local Nature Reserve in Braintree.
The Friends of Hoppit Mead volunteer group had recently put in a section of dead hedging at the site. Approximately half of this has now been torn out and thrown into the river.
The volunteers, recent recipients of an award for their work on this stretch of the River Brain, had installed the measures following vandalism of the woodland, to deter any further criminal destruction, help protect the riverbank and provide shelter for the wildlife that lives along it.
Hoppit Mead Local Nature Reserve is an open space just outside of Braintree town centre. It is a mixture of formal park and more natural areas, including scrub, wildflower meadows, amenity grassland, coppice and long stretches of river. The wet woodland here is the oldest of its kind in Essex.
The reserve also marks the location where ‘Father of Botany’ John Ray is said to have discovered the native blackcurrant, bringing Braintree cultural and historical significance.
The Friends of Hoppit Mead meet monthly, all year round, to ensure the site remains protected and help its various wildlife to thrive. They work to a management plan supported by the Council and benefit from capital funding, some of which supplied the stakes for the dead hedging that was demolished.
Denise Perrin, group leader, said: “We are devastated to see the mindless destruction of the group’s work, and at a loss to understand why someone would do this. We have reported the vandalism to the police and look forward to seeing the outcome of any investigations.”
A spokesperson for the Council said: “It is shameful that anyone would want to undo the work selflessly undertaken to improve the reserve for people and wildlife. We have asked our staff working in the area to increase vigilance and will not hesitate to take action with our partners in the police where we can identify criminal behaviour. Our thanks and appreciation go to the Friends Group for their continued dedication here.”
Photo property of Denise Perrin.