WORK is to begin next week to protect an area of Quantock Common owned by Friends of Quantock and regularly damaged by unauthorised car parking on the grassland along the road.

Quantock Common is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and is a nationally important wildlife site, but it has had a growing problem with cars badly churning up the turf during wet weather.

Concern is growing about water run-off damaging the nearby sensitive acid mire, and archaeological remains are also at risk. The need for action has become especially obvious with the influx of new visitors during the pandemic.

A shallow ditch and low bank will be dug along about 350m of the 1,800m-long east side of the Nether Stowey to Crowcombe road.

This will be done only where the terrain or old banks are not already enough of a barrier, and will be just big enough to deter unauthorised parking. Friends of Quantock are the independent conservation charity for the Quantock Hills and are owners of the land along the south side of the Over Stowey-Crowcombe road.

They are dedicated to the conservation and protection of all the landscape of the Quantock Hills for the benefit of the public and future generations.

They continue to support a separate scheme to provide improved parking for public access at Crowcombe Park Gate.

The work has been commissioned by Friends of Quantock with help from the Quantock Landscape Partnership Scheme and will be carried out from Monday (March 7), taking about three days.