DURING one of the harder frosts we spent a few hours clearing up some fly-tipping which had revealed itself after the bramble that concealed it had died back.

It had been a trying task, wading waist deep in brambles to retrieve that last elusive tin can, but also extremely satisfying to see the finished job.

About an hour into the clean-up I noticed a large piece of plastic, possibly the remains of a child’s play kitchen, just the other side of the bramble bed. I scrambled through the undergrowth to the open area and tried to lift the flimsy looking plastic. It took a little more effort than expected due to the mosses and grasses that had started to grow across its surface.

With a slight tearing noise the plastic lifted to reveal bare soil that was literally peppered with holes, channels and burrows. A myriad of centipedes, millipedes, ground beetles and slugs slowly scurried and slithered away to safety across the cold wintry ground. I knelt down to pick up the last few fragments but as I picked up one of the larger ones it revealed a small depression, within which was the small curled up figure of a common lizard. It had obviously felt safe and secure back in October as it tucked it’s self away for its winter hibernation.

I carefully placed the smaller piece of plastic back in position, followed by the larger sheet hoping that I hadn’t caused much disturbance.

This may give the impression that fly tipping can be beneficial to the delicate habitats and wildlife on our nature reserves, however this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The sheets of plastic, metal and fencing that are so often dumped, may make ideal refuges for many species of reptile, but they also expose the creatures to the risk of extra disturbance from inquisitive children. Naturally, these creatures would squeeze themselves safely under logs, or deep down between the roots of trees for the winter, a much safer, less accessible choice.

The garden waste that offers many a slow worm and grass snake a winter retreat or summer feeding ground can eventually lead to the creature’s demise. The plants thrown away in this manner are normally aggressive, dominant, fast growing garden varieties, which can quickly swamp the native vegetation reducing the food plants available to the reptile’s prey and cover up the open areas the reptiles use as basking spots.

Equally, as the abandoned vegetation rots, it slowly changes the soil chemistry, adding nutrients to the poor acidic soil that the heaths thrive in. This is often lethal to the native plants.

Much of our local wildlife habitat is extremely fragile, and even the slightest alteration can tip the ecological balance. Where possible we remove all tipping, but garden waste can be particularly awkward to remove completely, there is almost always some top soil or fragment of plant remaining.