Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has today spoken out about a wave of serious and organised crime affecting its flagship Idle Valley Nature Reserve, off North Road Retford and its neighbouring properties.

In addition to feeling the impacts of illegal fishing, poaching. littering and anti-social behaviour for many years, the charity, which will this year celebrate its 60^th Anniversary, is reeling from the impact of a succession of major thefts of tools, equipment and specialist materials.

Speaking about the impacts, the Trust’s Head of Nature Recovery North Janice Bradley MBE said: “Whilst we are used to the frustrations of dealing with minor thefts, vandalism and antisocial behavior such as fly tipping, the situation in the Idle Valley Nature Reserve and surrounding areas is now out of control. In the past 18 months we have had tens of thousands of pounds worth of items stolen, including a tractor and specialist fencing - and we’re aware that other neighbouring properties are being targeted too – with some significant recent thefts.”

Much of the cost of the thefts has had to be recovered from the Trust’s core fundraising – meaning it can do less to protect and restore nature. Where losses can be recovered through insurance, the charity is counting the cost in significantly higher premiums.

Janice continued: “The level of crime is now out of control. In addition to the thefts, recently we have been made aware of at least one incident involving a firearm near the northern part of the reserve on a public highway and of repeated incidents of dangerous off- road biking at the nearby Daneshill Lakes Nature Reserve.  We desperately need more visible local policing to help stamp out these activities. The Trust has recently written to senior local police representatives and to the Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry to raise the issue.

Janice added: “In the past few years we’ve invested over 300 thousand pounds to enhance wildlife habitats and update our facilities at Idle Valley Nature Reserve and it is soul-destroying for our staff and loyal volunteers to see our ability to protect and restore nature undermined by what we consider to be a wave of serious and organised crime. We know that rural crime is on the increase and blights the lives and livelihoods of so many farms and other rural businesses, and we welcome that the Commissioner has promoted a new grant scheme to tackle rural crime, but substantive progress cannot be made without more police officers on the ground, who can respond swiftly to incidents and help to prevent them.”

The Trust is urging anyone with information about crimes at the Idle Valley Nature Reserve and in the surrounding villages to call the police on the non-emergency 101 number.