Arsonists strike for the third time during lockdown at Milton Keynes nature reserve

It is the third time in nine weeks they have put out fires that have been started deliberately at the Blue Lagoon in Bletchley's Barton Road.

This morning they were called just after 6am and used a hose reel to put out the flames.

The first lockdown blaze happened at the Blue Lagoon in April, in the evening. This was followed by another arson in the reserve's woodland area eight days later.

It is feared all three blazes may have harmed wildlife and their habitats at the reserve.

The Blue Lagoon was created from clay pits from a former brickworks site and the surrounding woodland to be a haven for wildlife.

It is home to foxes, grey squirrel, muntjac deer, rabbits, grass snakes and Great Crested Newts as well as rare bird species including willow warblers, whitethroats, woodpeckers and grasshopper warblers.

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

* Firefighters from Great Holm were called out to another arson in the early hours of this morning at Oldbrook. Rubbish was set on fire in bushes on Kirkstall Place at around 12.55am.