A BIRDWATCHING hide at Upton Warren Wetland Reserve, which was twice burnt down by arsonists, has finally been replaced thanks to an £8,000 grant.

The hide was originally set-up for bird enthusiasts in the 1990s by a member of the reserve owners Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, in memory of her husband.

Heartless vandals twice set it alight – most recently in 2012 – but it has now finally been replaced thanks to a grant from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.

Andy Harris, the Trust’s Conservation Officer responsible for Upton Warren, said: “We’re delighted with the new hide and have had lots of positive comments from our volunteers and visitors alike.

“Birds are starting to settle back onto the pool now the work is complete and visitors are already starting to see birds – kingfisher, heron and little egret have been seen there in the past week.

“Volunteers cleared vegetation in front of the hide before construction work began and we’ve found footprints in the mud; we think they could be from an otter so it would be great to get confirmed sightings of one soon.”

The previous two hides were located close to the car park, with the new one now moved to the other side of the North Moors Pool, complete with an access path.

It adds to major restoration of the pool at the North Moors, which began in 2015, but the trust didn’t have enough money to build a birdwatching hide at the time.

The project was voted for by Tesco customers last year, with work completed in October after planning permission was granted.