ONE of the last two habitats in Hampshire for nightingales has been destroyed north of Romsey.

Conservationists have been horrified by the clearance of scrubland off Bunny Lane at Casbrook Common, near Braishfield, earlier this year.

The use of heavy machinery has also damaged the habitat of protected great crested newts and butterflies such as dingy skipper and grizzled skipper.

In the past the land has been a landfill site but in recent years it has been left to grow wild and reverted to scrub and become an important wildlife habitat although not protected by any designation such as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).

The site was one of only two where nightingales are known to breed in the county. The other is at Woolmer Forest in east Hampshire. Three pairs are thought to live at Casbrook Common. Nightingale numbers have dropped by around 90 per cent in Hampshire since 1980.

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The Advertiser is making inquiries as to who caused the damage.

Andy Lester, consultant ecologist, said: “It has been home to a population of nightingales for at least 20 years. It has been the local crown jewels in terms of wildlife. Now they have bulldozed the entire breeding site, clearing every tree and bush. It looks like a bomb has gone off. There could have been 200 nesting birds here.

“Local people are enraged. It looks like a moonscape. It is the worst example of environmental degradation I have seen in 20 years of living in the Romsey area.”
Keith Betton, chairman of Hampshire Ornithological Society, visited the site and took photos using a drone. He estimated the damaged area was about six acres.

Mr Betton said: “It is pretty sad. The nightingale is one of the rarest birds in the county and fastest declining in the country. It is devastating, this is a bird we should be taking great care of.”

A member of the public told Mr Lester: “I have been walking in this area for years and I’m devastated by what has been done. It has turned a beautiful and valuable site into a moonscape.”

The clearance is on land between two sites operated by Waltet waste company and was done earlier this year.

The Advertiser contacted Waltet to see if it was responsible but a company spokesman said: “The site in question has nothing to do with Waltet and never has”.

If the damage was done during the breeding season then a criminal offence could have been committed. 

The latest damage comes after nearby land on the same site was cleared by bulldozers in 2018.

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