Arsonists break lockdown and start blaze which destroyed wildlife at Milton Keynes nature reserve

Firefighters were called to the Blue Lagoon in Bletchley's Barton Road at 7.17pm on Tuesday to find a blaze that was well established.

Crews used water backpacks and buckets of water to deal with the blaze, which was believed to be in a picnic area.

The nature reserve was created from clay pits from a former brickworks site and the surrounding woodland to be a haven for wildlife. It is feared animals and their habitats could have been destroyed in the blaze.

Commonly seen at the Blue Lagoon are foxes, grey squirrel, muntjac deer, rabbits, grass snakes and Great Crested Newts.

Dozens of bird species can be found at different periods of the year . These include ducks, geese, reed, sedge and willow warblers. finches, whitethroats woodpeckers and the rare grasshopper warbler.

The Blue Lagoon gets it name from the water in its largest and deepest pit, which turns a magnificent shade of blue in the right light.