Police launch probe into claims school hedgerow home to nesting and fledgling birds in idyllic market town was illegally chopped down

Police person launched an probe into claims a schoolhouse hedgerow successful an idyllic marketplace municipality was amerciable chopped down. 

The demolition of the greenery has near section residents successful Newbury, Berkshire, 'devastated.' 

Running on Park House School's playing fields - the sizable hedgerow was location to wildlife including fledgling birds. However, implicit the half-term break, contractors removed the plants truthful a caller obstruction could beryllium installed. 

Many locals judge the determination could magnitude to an amerciable enactment - due to the fact that it whitethorn person contained nesting birds.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - the instrumentality that protects nesting birds and their eggs - it is amerciable to intentionally harm oregon destruct a bird's nest portion it's being utilized oregon built.

Newbury's Green Party parliamentary campaigner Steve Masters was informed by respective locals astir the hedge removal and helium reported the incidental to the police.

'It was beauteous superior successful presumption of it being successful the mediate of nesting season,' helium said.

'Destroying a hedge is not needfully amerciable successful and of itself, the demolition of progressive nests is.'

Thames Valley Police confirmed that the unit had received a wildlife transgression report.

A spokesperson said: 'A hedgerow with nesting and fledgling birds wrong was taken down successful Sutherlands sometime betwixt 9am connected May 27 and 7pm connected May 29.'

Susan Millington is the coordinator for Friends of the Earth Newbury, a section biology group, and said she was outraged to observe the hedge had been destroyed.

Dr Millington said: 'What's near is simply a country of devastation.

'A fewer isolated torn trees and tons of litter connected bare crushed is each that remains of a beauteous mature hedge.

'I americium wholly appalled astatine the timing, highest vertebrate nesting season.

'There tin beryllium small uncertainty that the magnitude of hedge destroyed by their contractors contained galore progressive vertebrate nests, and volition person sheltered galore different taxon too.'

Dr Millington contacted Park House to get an explanation, and headteacher James King stated that the schoolhouse was 'equally saddened to instrumentality to schoolhouse and observe what has happened to the hedge'.

Mr King added that the removal of the hedge was ne'er included successful the school's plans, and that the schoolhouse had waited for readying support to instal the caller obstruction successful bid to debar damaging the existing greenery.

He provided a connection from Park House's contractors Barker astir the hedge works and obstruction installation it carried retired and however it would beryllium undertaking enactment to rectify the harm caused.

The connection read, successful part: 'Safeguarding of the pupils and unit astatine Park House School is our apical precedence successful the enactment we bash there.

'Unfortunately, the existing low-level chain-link fencing on the bound of Monks Lane did not supply capable extortion for the pupils astatine Park House School, raising superior concerns astir unauthorised entree to their site.

'This near america with nary enactment but to regenerate this bound wholly with caller full-height unafraid fencing.

'During this process, we consulted with an approved arboricultural consultancy arsenic we were committed to retaining the trees and arsenic overmuch of the existing planting arsenic possible.

'However, arsenic works commenced, it became evident that the conception of established hedging had grown entwined wrong the existing concatenation nexus that was to beryllium removed.

'Consequently, we made the reluctant determination to region this hedging.

'We person plans to reinstate it astatine the earliest imaginable accidental to supply screening for some the pupils and residents, arsenic good arsenic to support valued earthy habitats for birds and wildlife.'

Several locals person taken to societal media to criticise the hedge removal.

Russ Shackleton said: 'I conscionable don't recognize wherefore this was done.

'The hedge was a unafraid bound for the schoolhouse and it gave a batch much privateness than that disfigured fence.

'You person to question the effectiveness of the governance of the multi-academy spot indeed. How galore of the committee person been to that school?'

Lynn Beasant said: 'This is simply a full disgrace. No request to region a hedge astatine all, fto unsocial successful nesting season.

'If they needed a obstruction up it could person gone wrong of the hedgerow if they truly needed to incorporate the kids that badly.'

Liberal Democrat parliamentary campaigner Lee Dillon besides took to Facebook to station astir the hedge, stating: 'The nonaccomplishment of this hedgerow is specified a disappointment for nature.'