Ashdown Forest: Signs vandalised at car parks

Car parks at a forest linked to the Winnie the Pooh books are continuing to be vandalised, conservators say.

Ashdown Forest volunteers said signs had been removed from 18 carparks and others had been defaced.

The vandalism was "eroding" funds aimed at maintaining the forest, the conservators said.

Ashdown Forest is famous as being the inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood, the setting of AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh books.

It is an Area of Outstanding Beauty covering 10 square miles.

The car park signs were previously targeted with graffiti not long after they were installed, following the introduction of parking charges.

Mark Infield, Landscape Recovery Manager at Ashdown Forest, told BBC Radio Sussex: "We are experiencing some serious vandalism and this has spiked in the last couple of weeks. But we believe this is a very small number of people.

"We are earning important revenues to help us keep the forest open and safe, but these attacks are definitely eroding that money."

The parking charges were introduced to help address the financial deficit incurred to maintain the forest.

Fees range from £2 an hour to £5 for the day, or £80 for an annual pass, with cheaper concessionary options available.

Forest managers say the vast majority of visitors are paying to park, with only 93 penalty notices being issued since November.

The income generated has been used to improve and maintain paths, gates and bridges as well as fixing potholes in car parks, and restoring eroded entrances and exits.

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