Revellers who lit a barbecue on a bench and left piles of rubbish at a nature reserve have left those running it "very sad".

Two days of nice sunny weather, coupled with a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions, has brought a number of extra people to our beautiful open spaces in the area - and lots of rubbish.

This was the scene on Tuesday, March 30, at Stoke Common in Farnham Common, after revellers enjoying the sun had a barbecue.

Stoke Common, a nature reserve, is run by the City of London Corporation along with Burnham Beeches.

Rangers who manage the protected site were greeted by a scorched wooden bench and mounds of rubbish, including chicken bones, glass bottles and plastic bags.

Sharing the images on social media, the Burnham Beeches City of London page wrote: "Very sad this morning to see what some people think is an acceptable way of treating a nature reserve.

"Thankfully it is a minority of people who behave like this (from Facebook posts on other pages it seems like it was 10 people), the damage caused was minimal and the rubbish has now been cleared away, but it doesn't make it any easier to understand."

They added that although there is currently lying water on Stoke Common at the moment, at this time of year, when there is lots of dry heather and other plants, the risk of fire is "at its greatest", saying: "The risk of fire is at its greatest, so lighting barbecues was a particularly thoughtless and irresponsible act."

They also urged those who see rubbish dumped like this to alert them.

They said: "The group sat their barbecues on the bench tops, leaving one scorched; thankfully not the one with carved designs by the children from Stoke Poges School.

"Empty plastic and glass bottles, burnt barbecues, plastic bags, bits of chicken bones, tissues and wipes were not just unsightly but a hazard to dogs and wildlife.

"If you want to alert us to any activity like this please do call the office on 01753 647358 (8am - 5pm) or our 24 hour number 01372 279488.

"For a group of this size, even with the eased lockdown restrictions it is a police matter which can either be reported on 101 or the Thames Valley Police website."