Group 'devastated' as tractor flattens wetland

The mown down section of the wetlands area in Prudhoe's Eastwoods Park

A campaign group says it is devastated after a large section of a park designated as a wetland and wildlife area has been flattened by a council tractor.

The Friends of Eastwoods Park (FOEP) in Prudhoe, a charity dedicated to improving the park, claimed they had managed to stop the damage but a "large area" was lost.

Northumberland County Council, which owned the park, said the work carried out was "planned and completed correctly."

Hexham MP Joe Morris has called for a formal apology from the council to acknowledge damage caused and "rebuild trust".

He said the community was "deeply disappointed", adding the incident had been "heart-breaking".

The group said it had spent years turning a waterlogged area of Eastwoods Park into a wetland and wildlife area, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A statement issued by the Miners' Lamp café, which is run by the FOEP, said: "We have now lost a large area of habitat including well established grasses and sedge which provided shelter and food for many amphibians, insects and mammals, increasing biodiversity and helping fight climate change."

'Absolute rubbish'

A Northumberland County Council spokesperson said the work was part of the agreed management plan for the Green Flag Park, which has been undertaken in previous years.

"This plan includes an annual cut and collect of this area to remove the vegetation which would otherwise make the area too nutrient rich," they said.

The council said it, along with its partners, had worked hard to achieve the Green Flag award, which recognises well managed parks and green spaces, for five consecutive years.

Russ Greig, Friends of Eastwoods Park founder and project manager, said the claim that the cut was planned is "absolute rubbish".

"I would have asked if it needed cutting. We're meant to be working together – if we're not, then we're not going to work at all," he said.

"All the effort we have put in as a charity with our volunteers and the money and this feels like it is being thrown back in our faces.

"It has been four years we have been developing that area, we have spent a lot of money on seeds, bulbs and plants. It's been a labour of love for us.

"I know it will grow back, but it is not the point, it took years to get it to that point."

Prudhoe South councillor Gordon Stewart said he had been in discussions with the council an representatives of Eastwoods Park following the incident.