ANTI-NESTING NETS TORN DOWN
Council promises to look at ‘alternative methods’ after public outcry:
CONTROVERSIAL plastic netting to stop birds nesting near a new school site has been torn down, with stickers from environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion left at the site.
The nets had been installed by contractors working on behalf of Anglesey Council in preparation for a multi-million-pound “super school” in Llangefni.
Just hours after the netting was condemned by the RSPB for its effect on birds, it was removed by someone at some point on Wednesday.
A council spokesman said the netting had been forcibly removed, and added that the authority will look at alternative methods of dealing with nesting birds in future, as a result of the public outcry against the netting.
Several stickers left on an access gate to the site featured the logo of Extinction Rebellion, the group which brought parts of London to a standstill with their climate change protests last month.
Extinction Rebellion North Wales has been contacted for a response, but neither the group nor anyone else has formally accepted responsibility for removing the netting.
Anglesey Council had claimed that the netting was installed to ensure that no birds are displaced should the hedge be removed.
The installation of the plastic nets came a month after Anglesey was awarded “plastic free” community status by conservation group Surfers Against Sewage in a move unanimously backed by the county council. The council spokesman said that, while the council aspired to see the island become plasticfree, this “will not happen overnight”.
The RSPB had condemned the presence of the netting, claiming it risks trapping birds or denying them valuable nesting space.
“We cannot keep trying to squeeze nature into smaller and smaller spaces or demand that wildlife fits in with our plans,” a spokesman said. “We have all seen the problems netting can cause by trapping birds or denying them nesting sites. Netting must be used sparingly and only if there is absolutely no alternative, and with regular monitoring to ensure our wildlife is not getting trapped, injured or worse.”
Following the removal of the netting, a council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the netting on site has been removed without consent and that our enquiries into this matter are still ongoing. However, we would also like to inform residents that we have listened to their concerns and will, in future, be looking at alternative methods of dealing with nesting birds in order to ensure that we minimise any potential impact to wildlife.”