A family has caused dismay among environmentalists after choosing to mow a makeshift football pitch into a beautiful wildflower meadow, leaving behind unsightly waste and damage.
It's understood the family had cut down part of the picturesque meadow to play football and hold a BBQ over the bank holiday weekend - despite there already being ready-made pitches available mere yards away.
Community volunteers had to remove waste that had been left behind in the damaged meadow, which is located in Swindon, Wiltshire.
Central Swindon North Parish Council has since spoken out about the incident, expressing their "disappointment" and emphasising the amount of hard work that volunteers, local residents and councillors had put into creating the meadow.
Chair of the parish council, Cllr Kevin Small, has given the following statement: "I am aghast that someone would take it upon themselves to create a football pitch from a wild meadow, particularly when an abundance of football pitches are just yards away.
"I have asked parish officers to investigate further, deal with those responsible and ensure it does not happen again. I wish to express my disappointment on behalf of the volunteers, residents, and fellow councillors who have put in so much work to create this meadow."
According to alarming statistics published on the WWF website, the UK has lost a devastating 97 per cent of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s, and immediate action is needed to ensure they don't disappear altogether.
Wildflowers provide yearlong food for bees, butterflies, and other such pollinators with food throughout the year. On a single summer day, one acre of wildflower meadow can contain as many as three million flowers, producing 1 kg of nectar sugar, an amount that can support almost 96,000 honey bees per day.
These beautiful meadows also have a wide range of other important purposes, from helping to mitigate flooding to reducing greenhouse gases, fighting climate change, and improving biodiversity.
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