A Bolton man has spoken out about his anger after seeing trees ripped out of the ground at a local nature reserve.

Simon Lees has lived in the Eagley Valley area for 13 years.

Bolton born-and-bred, Simon considers himself a ‘little bit of an eco warrior’.

A regular walker at the Eagley Brook Nature Reserve, Simon was left angry after witnessing children playing with the wooden stakes and covers designed to protect newly-planted trees on the nature reserve on Tuesday last week.

Simon says he has previously seen the trees, which were planted by non-profit organisation City of Trees, ripped out.

Read more: Longsight Park in Bradshaw targeted by vandals and off-road bikers

Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.

The father-of-three said: “Nature is very very important to myself and my family. When I see things like this, it upsets me. It upsets my daughter, too. She’s only nine.

“The first time we saw this happen my nine-year-old daughter set about putting wooden stakes back in the ground and things like that.

“It’s mindless kids that are either bored or trying to show off to their friends – it’s a tragic thing really.”

Now, the 43-year-old believes more should be done to educate children and adults on the importance of nature, and more people should be aware of Greater Manchester’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

Follow The Bolton News on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok.

He added: “We’re in a real biodiversity crisis, and this is why woodland is being expanded, there’s lots of work to clean up waterways, for farms to be farming more environmentally friendly and regeneratively.

“These are very, very important issues – we’re losing our wildlife. If you lose wildlife you’re losing habitats, you’re losing life. It’s education around that that’s really lacking.”

A City of Trees spokesperson said: “A number of trees at the Eagley Brook site have disappeared along with the protective deer guards, and while this is disappointing, there are lots of trees that have been left alone and are growing well.

“Having assessed the site, the City of Trees team will return in the autumn to replant the area where trees have gone missing.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.