Gates at Waterford Heath stolen for the second time in just four months

Following a theft in November, the newly replaced entry gates at Waterford Heath Nature Reserve have been stolen again last week.

We urge anyone who visited the Waterford Heath Nature Reserve in the week from 11 February and might have information to come forward. The gates, located close to the reserve’s car park at the southern entrance, had been stolen in November for the first time and had just been replaced in January, when they were reported missing again on 15 February by reserve volunteer warden Steve Kiln.

It is really a shame that the gates here at Waterford Heath keep disappearing because this means essentially stealing from nature. The gates cost nearly £400 to replace, funds and staff time that would otherwise be dedicated to helping wildlife.

Jenny Sherwen, Senior Reserves Officer
Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust

We believe that this was not an act of random vandalism, as the metal fittings of the gates seem to have been cut off with an angle grinder. The theft has since been reported to the police who are investigating.