'We are appalled by these criminal acts of destruction'

SUSPECTED arsonists have devastated part of a popular Teesside nature reserve - killing birds and scorching an area of marshland.

- By DAVE ROBSON

A large section of Coatham Marsh in Redcar, which is home to many species of flora, fauna and wildlife, including many nesting birds, was set alight at about 6pm on Thursday, June 26.

The blaze, which took firefighters nearly two hours to extinguish, covered the area with thick smoke and caused the cancellation of train services due to pass nearby.

A large area of grassland and reedbed habitat - roughly around the size of two football pitches - has been badly damaged, with devastating impacts to wildlife. It’s suspected various ground-nesting birds, including reed buntings and reed warblers, will have perished in the flames.

But according to the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, it isn’t an isolated incident, with an “alarming” increase in fires on nature reserves and other countryside sites within the Tees Valley region, following a worrying national trend. A spokesperson said they had “strong reason to believe” the fire was started deliberately.