AN ENVIRONMENTALLY sensitive site on privately owned land near Brentor has been damaged beyond repair.

On the south side of Liddaton Down, owned and managed by the Brentor Commons Association (BCA), a wide track has been cut into the ground, covering approximately 750m of ground, creating a figure of eight track.

Members from the BCA said the incident was not only illegal but had caused a substantial amount of environmental damage as it is managed as a wildlife habitat.

The BCA has 35 members and owns 46 acres of common land in the parish of Brentor, it is a registered charity and manages the only example of lowland heath in West Devon.

Liddaton Down covers 16.1 acres and slopes steeply down to a stream in the south and towards the Lyd Valley in the north and is home to three quarries in the south east section.

Local resident and honorary land manager for the BCA Will Walker-Smith said the wide track, discovered on Sunday (September 10), had been cut using heavy farm machinery from the Stowford Hill side, down to the bottom section of Liddaton Down and up again, narrowly avoiding the 30-40ft drop into one of the quarries.

Will added: ‘This area was being managed mainly for butterflies which thrive on the south facing slope, now sadly parts of this area have been irreparably damaged.

‘This is the second case of environmental vandalism that has occurred on Liddaton Down in the past three years, the last one was a serious flytipping incident in which all kinds of toxic rubbish was thrown into the quarry pond.’

The little-known Liddaton Down is home to many forms of wildlife, including a breeding area for small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies, nine species of bats, and many birds.

Dr Mike Whitfield, secretary of the Brentor Commons Association and former director of the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, said that Liddaton Down was a wildlife area and significantly important to the commons.

‘We can’t quite believe the damage they have done — this is an environmentally sensitive site and they have caused industrial vandalism.

‘What were they doing? These people have no right to do this — it is illegal as it is commons ground and no permission was sought.’

Will added: ‘A very large tractor must have been used to cause the damage it has done to the area. The only reason I can think of is that it is a perfect area for a scrambling route for motorised trail bikes. I can’t think of any other reason for this whatsoever but if this happens the effect would be devastating.’

Police visited the site on Tuesday and believed a large tractor with a wide topper was used.

If anyone saw anything suspicious in the area over the past week contact police on 101 quoting crime reference number CR/078004/17.