Farmer found guilty of disturbing protected ospreys

A farmer has been found guilty of intentionally disturbing the nest of breeding ospreys in the Lake District.

Paul Barnes drove his tractor and trailer with a group of children close to the Bassenthwaite site in June 2017, scaring the birds of prey from their nest.

The 58-year-old, from Braithwaite near Keswick, must pay a £300 fine, £2,000 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

The charges were brought under the Country and Wildlife Act 1981.

Ospreys are protected under the act which means it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly cause disturbance at, on or near an active nest.

The birds returned to the Lake District in 2001 after an absence of 150 years.

They have since become a major tourist attraction.