ACTION is being taken to stop environmental workers being intimidated as they work on a nature site.

The Firthmoor Grasslands Site, in Darlington, has been a nature area for almost ten years and has is home to a large number of important species.

John Buxton, Darlington Borough Council's director of development and environment, said: "The main concern has been the threat of intimidating behaviour to people carrying out habitat management of the site.

"The site experiences a high level of anti-social behaviour and vandalism, motorcycling and car dumping. A series of ditches were dug to try to suppress this in the past, but in general the site has remained an area that few people go for quiet relaxation."

Mr Buxton said the main pond in the area had attracted a large number of fishermen whose activities had caused it to become less attractive to wildlife.

To combat the problem a new group has been formed of people from Firthmoor, members of the neighbourhood centre and the British Trust of Conservation Volunteers.

The group will aim to make the area somewhere pleasant for the whole community to enjoy.

Its initial objectives are to move the fishermen by creating a pond for them away from the site, and to build new paths around the area.