Charity buys 'forgotten broad'

The two almost inaccessible lakes at Upton were recently bought by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust following a successful fundraising appeal.

Few people have visited Upton Broad since the end of the thatching industry led to the decline of nearby communities.

Tony Pollack of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust said: "We are in a spot really which has had no public access to my knowledge in its entire history."

Now the trust plans to turn the area into a 650-acre wetland nature reserve, and conserve the habitat of rare creatures such as marsh harriers, bitterns and water voles.

Mr Pollack said it was important to preserve such a pristine area.

"One of the reasons why this broad is an unusual feature is because a lot of the broads are connected to river systems and they are prone to being polluted.

"Whereas if you look into the water here, it's absolutely clear."

Mr Pollack said a priority was to restore reed and sedge beds for otters, water voles, bitterns and marsh harriers.

But trust director Brendan Joyce warned that such essential work would not be cheap.

"We spent something like £375,000 getting this far but the real bill is going to come in over the next 10 years as we gradually restore the land back to its favourable condition."

The trust hopes it will one day be able to open Upton Broad to the public.

INTERNET LINKS:
Norfolk Wildlife Trust
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites