PUPILS have been left upset after vandals deliberately drained their nature pond twice in recent weeks, with devastating effects on the wildlife living there.

The pond at Easington Nature Reserve was officially adopted by pupils at the Easington Church of England Primary School school in 2018, with the children naming it The Pond of Life.

As well as being a favourite place to visit, it forms the basis for many lessons and activities.

A trench, deliberately dug from the pond, has twice emptied the water from it along with much of the wildlife, which includes fish, frogs and endangered newts.

One pupil said: “I feel upset because the water animals have nowhere to live.”

Another added: "Whoever is doing this is self-centred because they are not thinking about anyone else, especially the animals.”

Along the Durham Heritage Coast, fresh water pools are rare and the pond is very important ecologically.

The first time the pond was found vandalised, a team of Durham County Council workers were close by and volunteered to fill the trench back in.

A local dog walker, who alerted the school when it was found damaged for a second time, said the pond had been recovering nicely, filling up with all the recent rain and had been full of tadpoles.

Councillor Angela Surtees, who represents Easington and is also a school governor at Easington Church of England Primary School, said: “I cannot understand why, on two separate occasions, the pond has been drained by someone who has deliberately dug a channel for the water to flow through.

“This was a pond teeming with wildlife, however, when I visited with the children after it was vandalised, we saw only a couple of tadpoles and a dead newt. No wonder they are so upset.

“Lots of investment and effort has been put into the Nature Reserve and it is very special to a lot of local people, including Easington’s school children. I would ask if anyone knows who is damaging the pond to please report it and we’d also like to put out a plea asking people not tamper with it in any way.”

Easington Nature Reserve was previously the site of Easington Colliery and, like the rest of the Durham Heritage Coast, has undergone a transformation over the last 20 years.

During lockdown, more people than ever enjoyed visiting the area, which encompasses some of the most dramatic coastline in the north and is a wonderful mosaic of great natural, historical and geological interest.

For more information, please visit www.durhamheritagecoast.org.