SIX thousand trees have been cut down at a beauty spot on the outskirts of Bolton — to stop strangers meeting for sex

in Uncategorized by admin — March 24, 2010 at 0:00 | 0 comments

SIX thousand trees have been cut down at a beauty spot on the outskirts of Bolton — to stop strangers meeting for sex.

A 12-hectare site beside the A666 near Entwistle Reservoir has been cleared in the past month by United Utilities following a health and safety survey.

Police and councillors said the felling programme would have the added benefit of discouraging strangers from meeting up for sex at the known “dogging” hotspot.

To minimise the impact on the local wildlife, park rangers carried out the felling outside the bird breeding season.

A United Utilities spokesman said: “The trees were old and at risk of falling into the road causing an accident. We are replanting with natural broad-leaf trees.”

Sgt Mark Wilson of Darwen police, said the tree felling would help reduce incidents of dogging. He added: “It’s an ongoing problem and very worrying for members of the public. It’s far too early to tell if cutting the trees back has had any impact but we’ll be paying regular attention to the area.”