Christchurch council’s continuing short-sighted approach towards ‘managing’ nature on St Catherine’s Hill etc fails to take into account that in clearing and tidying woodlands and scrub for whatever noble reasons, public access is being created in previously undisturbed natural places.

More and more people are tramping areas where they could not have walked a year or two ago and the hill is fast becoming a recreation ground for mountain bikes, who totally ignore signs.

Conservationists are quick to say that the truly wild no longer exists, but they are the very ones ‘gardening’ short small wild pockets and actively encouraging public to ‘walk this way’ with their nature reserve publicity, artificial paths, bridges over bogs, bird lookouts and discover nature trail events.

Also on St Catherine’s Hill, pine trees are non-native, invasive and should be axed, meanwhile over in Sandbanks, pine trees have preservation status and prosecutions result if you harm them.

MISS P RANDLES, Apple Grove, Christchurch