A Totton man is due to appear in court after hedgerows containing dormice by a rugby club were allegedly destroyed.
Neil Hitch, 62, of Marybridge Close in Totton, has been summoned to appear in court facing a charge of damaging/destroying a breeding site/resting place of a wild animal of a European protected species.
Police said that between 1 January 2023 and 22 February 2023, hedgerows containing dormice on land at Petersfield Rugby Club were allegedly destroyed.
According to the ZSL conservation charity, the hazel dormouse, which was once common across the UK, is now considered at risk of extinction due to woodland habitat loss and mismanagement.
Hitch is part of a group of four people who will appear at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court.
They are:
- Stuart Barden, aged 57, of Winchester Road in Petersfield
- David Cole, aged 34, of Weald Way in Petersfield
- Steve Field, aged 64, of Redwing Road in Clanfield
They are due to appear at court on Thursday 20 June.
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