An ancient Fenland monument has been left seriously damaged

A grandfather has issued an urgent plea after a Fenland ancient monument has been seriously damaged by people using quad bikes, motorbikes or other off-road vehicles.

Malcolm Bruce, chairman of Leverington Street Pride, described the destruction wreaked on Roman Bank as 'devastating' and said it is going to take years for the natural site to recover - but only if the perpetrators stay away.

Mr Bruce, who regularly walks the site with his grandchildren, said: "There was evidence that people had been using quad bikes or motorbikes to ride up and down the monument about 10 days ago, but they returned on Tuesday (24) night and had churned up the grass leaving the area a muddy mess."

Malcolm said the site is popular with villagers who use it for dog walking and said it was also a nature reserve that was well-loved by locals who understand its history.

He said: "I'd like to think it is people from outside of Leverington who have done this and therefore don't know the significance of Roman Bank.

"What has happened is a real travesty, the police have been informed and we have also been in contact with Cambridgeshire County Council who is responsible for the upkeep of public footpaths.

"Unfortunately the police don't have the resources to keep an eye on the site all the time, and because of its location it is impossible for it to be gated off as people can still get to it across fields, so I'm not sure what can be done to protect it, other than to appeal to those responsible to stay off the site.

"I have lived here for over 40 years and this has only happened once before and that was about two years ago. It has taken all that time for it to recover and now this has happened.

"The trouble is those responsible want it to be a muddy mess, so the muddier it is the better because I understand it is more exciting for theme on their motorbikes and quad bikes."

Roman Bank, which dates back to Medieval times, was originally a sea defence protecting the land behind it from The Wash. It stretches for 600yds north west of Little Dowgate and is designated as a scheduled monument and is registered by Historic England.