A plea has been issued to bike riders in a bid to protect Kenilworth Common and the wildlife that calls it home – including the rare glow-worm.

The Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (WKWT) has been working with Warwick District Council and law enforcement teams to protect the habitats inside the nature reserve, which the trust says are are being routinely damaged by bike riders.

Glow worms are rare in Warwickshire, and Kenilworth Common is one of a small number of places with a glow worm population.

WKWT said that “what was once an area filled with wildlife is now a barren, dusty area of bare earth with no ground vegetation to support the creatures that once lived there”. This includes nesting birds, woodland flowers, invertebrates and glow-worms.

A plea has been issued to bike riders in a bid to protect Kenilworth Common and the wildlife that calls it home – including the rare glow-worm. Photo by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

placeholder image — A plea has been issued to bike riders in a bid to protect Kenilworth Common and the wildlife that calls it home – including the rare glow-worm. Photo by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

The charity said bike tracks have been built, trees have been removed to create jumps, and fences and newly planted trees have been ripped out.

It added that these “acts of vandalism have been carried out without a care for the wildlife who live in the nature reserve and at a great cost to the charity and the council who are desperately trying to protect the area”.

The WKWT has now issues a plea to bike riders for them to consider more appropriate locations for bikes and to not use a designated nature reserve.

Karl Curtis, director of nature reserves at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, said: “Kenilworth Common is a unique place for people and wildlife and has a long history of local use dating back to when it was assigned a "common" in 1796.

“Since then, it has become a wild space for our local and rare wildlife to thrive, but with less green spaces and more people, humans are having a negative impact.

“The local glow worm population, not in fact a worm but a beetle, are under threat from the pressure of people accessing areas that we need to keep safe for nature, particularly by bikes.

“We want Kenilworth Common to remain rich in nature and a stronghold for the glow worms, but that won’t happen if we don't share the space respectfully with nature.

“So please do stick to the paths and avoid damaging activities.”

If anyone witnesses any off-road bikes, mountain or BMX bikes in the nature reserve, or any anti-social behaviour, they should report this to the police using either 101 or report online via: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/dobemin

Cllr Will Roberts, portfolio holder for neighbourhood at Warwick District Council, added: “It’s so important that we do everything we can to safeguard our precious nature reserves and wildlife habitats and prevent this selfish and needless damage from happening.

“We therefore want to empower members of the public to assist us by reporting misuse of this area through these communication channels.”

The WKWT added that “by protecting the area, it will mean the land can once again become a stronghold for nature and in particular, for the glow worms who are desperately trying to survive there”.

For more information about the WKWT go to: https://www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/