THE car park at a Hook beauty spot has been closed in a bid to stop littering and to help prevent people and dogs from disturbing the wildlife.

However, the move by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, which manages Bartley Heath, has angered some people, who say there should be public access by car to what is common land.

The nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, is a large area of heathland and woodland which is home to rare plants, such as the Marsh Gentian.

The trust closed the car park, off the A287, to the public in the spring for the replacement of a water main by South East Water. But once work finished, the car park remained closed.

The gate is padlocked, with a sign attached warning that the car park is closed and that the gate should not be blocked.

John Hunt, of Rookswood Close, Hook, would like to see the car park reopened. He regularly walks at Bartley Heath and has carried out butterfly surveys there for the Butterfly Conservation charity.

The 77-year-old said: “Although the trust owns it, if it is common land, then I would have thought there should be some public access.

“Most wildlife reserves have car parks and I do not know what has got up their noses. They go on about the environment but they are putting people off.”

But Mike Morton, reserves and grazing officer, said the trust noticed “several positive impacts” at Bartley Heath when the car park closed.

These include reduced littering, fly-tipping and illegal large-scale mushroom picking, reduced disturbance to wildlife leading to ground-nesting birds breeding at the site, and reduced disturbance to grazing livestock such as ponies and cattle, which help maintain the heathland.

He told The Gazette: “Although the car park is closed and people are not able to park there any longer, Bartley Heath is accessible on foot via several pedestrian access points on Griffin Way South and at the previous car park entrance.

“We would like people who visit Bartley Heath to respect it when they visit by keeping their dogs under control so they do not disturb or chase wildlife and taking any litter and dog waste home with them.”