Tophill Low fully reopens

Tophill Low in East Yorkshire has fully reopened after three years of disruption and renovation works.

The reserve, near Driffield, opened on Saturday after being partially closed because of flooding, construction work and the pandemic. Yorkshire Water, which runs the site, planted 3,200 trees and revamped a hide during the closure.

Western Marsh Harrier breeds at Tophill Low (Mike Trew).

Warden Richard Hampshire said: "The wildlife has been indifferent to the plant and machinery operating in recent years and we have Eurasian Bittern attempting breeding for the first time ever and three pairs of Western Marsh Harriers fledged young.

"We've also seen extremely rare Great Reed Warbler and ... Spotted Sandpiper while the reserve was closed."

Areas of poor quality non-native woodland were harvested to create biofuels during the temporary closure, according to Yorkshire Water. The site also has a hide named after Flt Sgt Angus McBean, a trainee airman from Durham who lost his life on a training flight from nearby RAF Catfoss.