Trust faces £10,000 bill after reserve break-in

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust is facing a £10,000 bill after a break-in at one of the East Midlands's most important wetland sites.

Tools and equipment were taken during the incident at Attenborough Nature Reserve near Beeston, Nottinghamshire.

Significant damage was also caused to storage units and a catering pod at the site.

The trust said the incident had left staff feeling "angry and frustrated".

The break-in at the nature centre was discovered by staff on Tuesday morning after they spotted a smashed window on the site's ice cream and coffee unit.

The trust said thieves had also broken into storage sheds and taken chainsaws, drills and a variety of other tools, valued at about £7,000.

The tools are used to maintain habitats across the nature reserve and other wildlife areas in south Nottinghamshire.

Nottinghamshire Police confirmed it was investigating.

Beth Maples, the trust's business and operations co-ordinator, said: "It was certainly a shock to discover that we'd been targeted and saddening to see the extent of the damage caused.

"Ultimately, we know tools can be replaced, and damage can be fixed, but it's a setback we can ill-afford, particularly just as we're getting back to normal following the recent floods."

It is believed it happened some time between 21:00 and 22:00 GMT on Monday.

The trust expects to face a bill of up to £10,000 to replace the tools and repair the facilities.

Ms Maples added: "The loss of so many tools will have a significant impact and may mean that we are forced to postpone some work until after the summer."

Insp Mike Ebbins said the force was "pursuing a number of lines of inquiry".

"The Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust do some fantastic work in our community and we are determined to track down the people responsible for this crime," he added.

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