Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust makes plea over nature reserve crimes

A wildlife charity has called on the police to help it deal with a "wave of serious and organised crime" at a nature reserve.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust said crime was "out of control" at Idle Valley Nature Reserve in Retford.

In the past 18 months it said tens of thousands of pounds worth of items had been stolen, including a tractor.

Nottinghamshire Police said rural crime operations and patrols were regularly carried out in hotspot areas.

Bosses at the trust said the nature reserve off North Road had felt the impacts of poaching, littering and anti-social behaviour in the past but the situation had escalated over recent months.

Janice Bradley, the trust's head of nature recovery in the north, said the level of crime was now out of control.

"In addition to the thefts, recently we have been made aware of at least one incident involving a firearm and repeated incidents of dangerous off-road biking," she said.