On Thursday 3 June, a section of the sand dunes at Horton’s Nose was deliberately set on fire.
This is bad news not only for the dunes themselves but for the fantastic wildlife found there. This wildlife site is home to many plants and animals including the common lizard which burrows and basks in the marram grass and open sand patches, sky larks and burnet moth. Along the water’s edge, cormorant, sandwich tern and oystercatchers can also be seen.
As well as being an important habitat for wildlife, the sand dunes are vital as a natural sea defence and it is the deep root network of the marram grass that stabilises the dunes allowing them to perform this essential function. Burning the marram therefore can have serious consequences not just for the wildlife but the people of the area too.
Although situated in Conwy, Horton’s Nose is owned and managed by Denbighshire Countryside Service and is one of 18 such sites in the north of the county. Works have been carried out on the site as part of the All Wales Coastal Path to formalise access and give people a place to view Rhyl from a different angle.
Toni Proffitt, Denbighshire’s Coastal Access Officer, said: “It is a great shame that people have to harm such a lovely place, spoiling the enjoyment of the site for others. I really hope that no wildlife was affected by the fire.”
