Anti-social behaviour causes more than £100,000 worth of damage in woodlands across south east Wales

The financial cost of repairing damage deliberately caused to fences in forests and woodlands on land managed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) through anti-social behaviour has seen a significant increase.

NRW manages approximately 8,744 ha of land in south east Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government.

Over the last three years, officers estimate that anti-social activities have caused approximately £120,000 in costs to repair boundaries, in particular fences that have been cut or damaged on the Welsh Government Woodland Estate.

Officers have reported that St James woodland near Tredegar, has recently seen an increase in such incidents, including the recent theft of a kissing gate.

Deliberately cutting or damaging fences in forests is illegal, and can pose a serious risk to peoples  safety, the environment and local wildlife by:

• Preventing visitors from being protected from areas of the woodland which may have been fenced off for health and safety reasons.
• Increasing the risk of livestock escaping onto highways and residential areas which could cause harm to the public, the animals, and the farmers livelihood
• Increasing the risk of fly-tipping and other anti- social activities
• Allowing off -road vehicles access which has a negative impact on biodiversity and wildlife

Jo-Anne Anstey, Senior Land Management officer for Natural Resources Wales said:

Our forests are fantastic recreational spaces and it’s always wonderful to see so many people getting outdoors and enjoying the beautiful woodlands and nature reserves we help look after across Wales.

Unfortunately, over the last few months we’ve seen a sharp increase in the number of boundary fences in our woodlands that have been deliberately cut or damaged.

We maintain approximately 400 miles of fences in our woodlands across south east Wales, which is essential in helping us keep visitors to our forests safe, as well as protecting newly planted trees from being damaged.

It’s really disheartening when you see deliberate damage being caused. Replacing fences is time consuming and costly – resources which could be far better spent being reinvested in to our forests and woodlands.

We’re urging people to help us keep our forests and woodlands safe for everyone – if you see anyone damaging fencing on land we manage, call the police on 101 with the date time, location, and description of the damage.

You can also report anti-social behaviour to Gwent Police by calling 101, sending a direct message on Facebook or X, formerly Twitter, online at www.gwent.police.uk or via email contact@gwent.police.gov.uk.

Reports can also be emailed to NRW along with a police reference number to forestsandnaturesoutheast@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk