MEMBERS of a conservation group set up to look after a small “green oasis” in Trowbridge are angry and upset, after vandals damaged trees and dug holes in the ground to create a BMX track.

The Broadmead Pond area, off Lynwood Drive, which was under threat from housing a few years ago before residents came together against the plans, is regularly looked after by a group that picks up any litter and maintains the land.

However, members of the group discovered that trees in the area had been damaged last Monday, before finding that half a dozen holes had been dug in the ground to create a BMX track this week.

Trowbridge and Wiltshire councillor Helen Osborn, who is part of the conservation group, said it was distressing to see damage caused to an area that is home to wide variety of wildlife.

“We call it a little green oasis and we meet at least once a month to maintain it, so it was a shock to find that five or six of the trees had been damaged and had bark cut off,” Cllr Osborn told the Wiltshire Times.

“It is a lovely area and there is lots of different wildlife around, including newts, which was one of the reasons we opposed homes being built on the land a few years ago.

“The conservation group made a bug house and bird boxes, but the bug house has now been dug up. It appears that whoever has done this is trying to create a BMX track, as they have created several deep holes in the ground.

“It is upsetting to see as we have spent a lot of time looking after the area and many families and dog walkers enjoy walking through it. It is a big concern for a lot of people in the Broadmead area.”

The conservation group works with Wiltshire Council’s Rights of Way and Countryside Service to look after the area and signs warning people not to damage the trees or dig were put up last week.

But Cllr Osborn said most of the signs had been ripped down when she visited the area on Monday and she is urging anyone with information to contact the police on 101.

Cllr Osborn added: “I headed up there on Monday and found the notices had been torn up and thrown on the ground. Whoever it is that is doing it does not seem to care that it is a protected area.

“It is out of the way, so it is quite hard for people to see them do it or hear it happening. We would ask anyone with information about the vandalism to get in contact with the police as soon as possible.”