Not everyone is on #Lockdown this Easter. Members of the Four Acres Traveller site at Shorncote are repeatedly damaging/stealing gates, bollards and locks so that they can ride their quad bikes on a nature reserve that’s home to Schedule 1 breeding birds. @GlosPol_Rural

This bollard was installed a matter of days ago. Has since been wrenched out of the ground, reinstalled by the rangers, and now had the locks cut off with a grinder. Same with one of the gates on the reserve.

This has been going on for months now, with nothing seemingly able to curb their desire to destroy our natural assets. The culprits appear to be untouchable. In these trying times, as a small charity, we simply cannot cover the costs of constant repairs.

If nothing changes, I will be reluctantly recommending to our Board of Trustees that we withdraw from our lease of this important piece of countryside.

I estimate that we’ve spent a few thousand pounds on trying to deal with this problem in the last 6 months alone. That money was supposed to be spent on habitat enhancement and improvements to public facilities. The police and neighbouring landowners have all been helpful.

The financial aspect of all this is clearly unsustainable, but what really angers me is that the Schedule 1 birds that are trying to breed there, are being prevented from doing so. Under the law, this should lead to a custodial sentence and heavy fine.