Southsea's unused refuge for brent geese taken down

Fake geese were installed in the field to try and entice migratory birds to the refuge over the winter

A fenced-off area of coastal space has been returned to public use after geese snubbed it as a potential refuge.

Castle Field in Southsea was set up as a sanctuary for brent geese in October with decoy birds and devices giving off goose calls to entice them in.

But the geese spurned the site in favour of a nearby pitch-and-putt golf course and Portsmouth Cricket Club.

The space was put in place to offset the use of Clarence Playing Field during ongoing sea defence works.

The birds snubbed the enclosed section of Castle Field on Southsea seafront

October sees the arrival of the brent geese from Siberia in southern England

The council was required by Natural England to make the alternative provision for the birds, which arrive in large flocks from Siberia in early October.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the future use of the field as a refuge for the geese will now be reviewed before next winter.

The field had been expected to be fenced off to the public for the geese every winter from October to March for the duration of the sea defence works, which are expected to be completed by 2026.

The £131m project to strengthen the sea defences includes building walls, raising land and widening beaches along a 4.5km (2.8-mile) stretch of coastline.

Works are under way to strengthen sea defences along a 4.5km-stretch (2.8 miles) of coastline in Southsea