Police investigate charity car park damage

Kent Wildlife Trust said signs at Oare Marshes Nature Reserves had been thrown to the ground

Thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused by "repeated vandalism" to car park signs in a nature reserve, according to the charity which runs it.

Vandals have struck three times in three weeks using an angle grinder to cut down signs in Oare Marshes Nature Reserve, near Faversham, Kent Wildlife Trust said.

A charity spokesperson said it "may be an objection to car parking charges", which have been in place since 2021.

Kent Police confirmed it was investigating removal of signage in a car park in Church Street, Oare, and appealed for information.

The force said no suspects had been identified.

The wildlife trust said the cost of the damage and staff time "could have been better spent working for the benefit of wildlife on the reserve".

Last September, parking signs at Oare Marshes were replaced with a Monopoly-style image declaring “free parking.”

Kent Wildlife Trust said it managed more than 90 reserves and charged for parking at seven of them.

Visitors to Oare Marshes car park pay £2.50 on weekdays and £3.50 at the weekend, for the day.

The money raised supports nature restoration work, the charity said.

The reserve is a site is of international importance for migratory and breeding wetland birds

The charity said it did not receive any income from fines, which are collected by a third-party company.

Oare Marshes Nature Reserve is a site is of international importance for migratory and breeding wetland birds, and consists of one of the few remaining grazing marshes in Kent.

Simon Bateman Brown, head of land management for Kent Wildlife Trust, said: “Parking at the reserve brings us vital revenue which supports our work.

"The money is put back into nature, so we can help wildlife to thrive."