Thefts fear closes trust facility

Bosses at a wildlife trust nature reserve say they are closing the facility to vehicles because they are worried about potential thefts.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust said suspicious people had driven up to Blakehill Farm near Cricklade in a 4X4 vehicle on two occasions.

"We believe these people have been out to see what they can steal," said John Rattray of the trust.

"They were probably looking for scrap or machinery to sell on," he added.

Blakehill, an RAF airfield and government research centre before the trust bought it in 2000, is a 240-hectare site offering a refuge for wildlife.