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BBC’s Springwatch faces criticism over environmental damage at National Trust’s Longshaw estate

A joint pledge commits restoration work at Longshaw estate after residents reported blocked ditches, widened tracks, steel plates on wildflower meadows

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Overview

  • Residents say filming operations blocked drainage ditches, widened vehicle tracks and laid steel plates over meadows just as wildflowers began to bloom
  • The BBC and National Trust insist all infrastructure is temporary and have pledged to reseed fields, restore ditches and revert landscape changes after the three-week live Springwatch shoot
  • Production was powered chiefly by a green hydrogen fuel cell certified by BAFTA Albert to minimise CO₂ emissions
  • Local council worker Christine Laver and Countryside Alliance director Mo Metcalf-Fisher voiced concerns over ecosystem disruption from heavy vehicles and temporary infrastructure
  • Presenters Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan are filming live at Longshaw estate in celebration of Springwatch’s 20th anniversary