Call for 'neglected' beck to become nature reserve

Bottesford Beck has "been left neglected", claim councillors

There are calls to turn a section of a "neglected" beck into a designated nature reserve.

Bottesford Beck, south of Scunthorpe, is in a state of "disrepair", due to overgrown plants and litter.

Max Bell, a councillor for the Ashby Lakeside ward, said he would be “very much interested” for the beck to be given a local nature reserve (LNRs) designation.

North Lincolnshire Council said it "constantly" assesses the opportunity to upgrade areas to nature reserves and maintains other non-designated sites.

People living near the Beck told the BBC they had been left "heartbroken" by the state of the area

People who live nearby recently claimed a section of the beck and its adjacent bridleway, between Ashby Lakeside and Holme Lane, had been "neglected".

At a scrutiny panel meeting on Wednesday, Mr Clark also raised concerns about disability access of Bottesford Beck due to overgrown vegetation at the site.

Lisa Swainston, the council’s assistant director for environment and public protection, said trees at the site are due for coppicing next month - a practice that involves felling trees at their base to leave a trunk from where new shoots grow.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, authorities declare LNRs on land they own, or lease, with support from Natural England.

Before 2003, there was only one LNR in North Lincolnshire. Now there are 17 sites across the county covering 310 hectares - an average of 1.89 hectares per 1,000 people, which is almost double a national target.

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