Wildlife haven hit by Musicians hope gala will strike right chord fly-tipped rubbish

MUSICIANS with Peterborough Opera will be serving up a musical treat for city folk. The group is hosting an Opera Gala at St John’s Church, in Cathedral Square, in Peterborough, on June 16 at 7.30pm. Tickets for the event cost £10 (which includes a glass of wine during the interval). Accompanied children under 16 free. Tickets are available on the door or at the Visitor Destination Centre, in Bridge Street, 01733 452336 or the Keytheatre Box office 01733 207239. LITTER louts ruined a nature spot with their rubbish but a 78-year-old has been hard at work clearing it up.

Mick Russell, of Bardney, Orton Goldhay has been maintaining the pond at the top of Cherry Orton Road for about 30 years.

But after a brief period away, he returned horrified to find it was full of debris including items like plastic bottles and lumps of wood.

He said: “It is a real amenity for the area. There are lots of wildlife like frogs, birds and insects living in the pond.

“Workmen were here while I was away to pollard the willow but left a load of wood by the side of the pond.

“Unfortunately that invariably gets chucked in the pond. That was all there along with two great big car tyres and a load of plastic bottles.

“It can get a bit depressing when you have an attractive site like this and people keep throwing in rubbish.”

Mr Russell has been a volunteer for Orton Waterville Parish Council for about 30 years. LAND HOBSON.

In that time he has kept the pond clean and tidy but now feels something needs to be done for a more permanent solution.

He says it can take days for Enterprise Peterborough to clear rubbish away meaning it is often put straight back in. He also fears for the safety of the children who play in the area.

Mr Russell said: “I’m getting a bit old to be clambering around in a pond. Some of the stuff is getting a bit heavy for me.

“And there are a lot of young chil-

(METP-16-05-12RH107) dren playing. I think we need to put up some sort of barrier because it is quite deep water.”

He is meeting the parish council and Peterborough City Council’s wildlife officer next week to discuss the issue.

mess: Mick Russell says vandals and fly-tippers are ruining the pond for everyone. Picture: ROW-