Litter at Mill Lane Meadows 08/26

Mill Lane Meadows Litter, 08/26, cigarette stubbs, cans & bottles

The long stretch without rain has left our nature reserves and green spaces extremely vulnerable to wildfires

We’ve all seen the devastating impact of fires across the UK these past couple of months, and sadly, we’ve had incidents here in Test Valley in recent weeks.

During an inspection this week, our Reserves Officer Gemma was disappointed to find more than 65 discarded cigarette butts and a pile of litter in the car park at Mill Lane Meadows (Sherfield English) - just metres from a bin.

With so many warnings about the risks, it’s hard to understand why this is still happening. Flicking a cigarette onto dry ground could easily start a wildfire - putting people, wildlife, livestock, and our beautiful countryside at risk.

Please, let’s all do our part: use the bins provided for your litter , and take extra care with anything that could cause a fire . A small act of carelessness can have serious consequences, especially in these conditions.

This is a team effort!

Thank you to everyone who works tirelessly to keep our reserves and green spaces litter free. We know so many of you take real pride in your local nature reserves, parks and green spaces, and your efforts make a real difference