A POPULAR nature reserve has won a battle with vandals.
Yobs had targeted the Quay Nature Reserve in Connah’s Quay, setting fires, scrawling graffiti and damaging the work of schoolchildren.
But after complaints from nearby residents, a bird hide, which was providing shelter for youngsters at night, has been taken down.
The 4.2 acre reserve on Ffordd Llanarth was funded by a Welsh Government grant of £50,000 and was completed with hard work by Groundwork, QuayCat and community volunteers.
QuayCat chairman Ian Dunbar, also a Connah’s Quay town councillor, said: “The site is not closing down.
“We have removed the bird hide because it was attracting the wrong type of people.
“There were youths gathering there, drinking and dropping litter. They set fires and wrote graffiti on the walls.
“Out of respect to the residents we took the bird hide down. It was becoming a problem for them.”
Last year the site was trashed and a willow tunnel, built by pupils at Connah’s Quay High School, was smashed.
The reserve was officially opened by First Minister Carwyn Jones last January but some concern has been raised about the site becoming overgrown.
Cllr Dunbar said there were moves to set up a group of volunteers to tend to the site and community payback workers had been helping.
He said: “It won’t be left to go to rack and ruin.
“It does need tidying up. We have had the community payback workers cleaning the rubbish.
“Nobody has gone up there to tidy it up for a while, it’s too cold for people to work up there at the moment.”
Connah’s Quay town clerk Ian Jones said: “There was a spate of vandalism at the site which included damage to the bird hide, litter was thrown and youths were congregating.
“The site has been cleaned up and the hide has been removed so there is no shelter for youths to gather.”
The once disused and overgrown wetland site has been used for environmental fun days, willow weaving and tree planting sessions.
Anyone who would like to volunteer at the reserve can contact Cllr Dunbar.