HAMPSHIRE conservationists are battling vandals who are repeatedly desecrating a beauty spot.

Wheelie bins, trolleys and fencing posts have been dumped in Weeke Pond in Winchester several times over the past few weeks.

Volunteers from the Weeke Pond Conservation Group have cleared out the pond only to find vandals have struck again.

Trevor Dixon, lead volunteer for the Weeke Pond Conservation Group, said: “The situation is that there have been a number of problems with the railings and the posts are insecure.

This has attracted the attention of some revellers who have taken them off and thrown them into the pond and we have had to fish them out.

“I’m a little concerned that if people really attack the posts then the posts might break. On one occasion I fished them out after they have been thrown in and then the next morning they were back in along with two shopping trolleys, a Winchester bin and all the rubbish. I have lived here for 30-plus years and have been helping out at the pond for about five years. We’ll just have to keep fishing out whatever they dump until it’s sorted.”