The move comes a few days ahead of new Government legislation which comes into force clamping down on harm caused to animals by dogs off leads in the countryside.
Hayley Wood, a designated Site of Scientific Interest and an Ancient Woodland (an area continuously wooded since 1600), is home to a range of rare wildflowers, birds, butterflies and other species. But despite clear signage around the fenced woodland, staff have dealt with several instances of dogs off leads disturbing birds and harming wildflower habitats. In one recent incident a reserve officer was verbally abused by a dog walker after being asked to put a dog on a lead.
The reserve will now be temporarily closed to visitors. When it reopens in a month dogs will no longer be allowed inside the fenced area.
Dating back to the Domesday Book the site was studied by influential woodland ecologist Oliver Rackham who wrote a book on it 50 years ago which was instrumental to our modern understanding of Ancient Woodland habitats.
Cambridgeshire Senior Reserves Manager Matt Hamilton said: “This is private land which is owned by the Wildlife Trust. It is managed for wildlife and the enjoyment of considerate visitors.
“We will not tolerate behaviour that harms wildlife on our reserves or any abuse directed towards our staff. We pride ourselves on ensuring our reserves are open and accessible for people to visit, so closing a reserve is not something we do lightly.
“Hayley Wood is a jewel in Cambridgeshire’s nature crown which we work hard to protect for its irreplaceably rich assemblage of species – it is not a dog exercise yard. We would like to apologise to all the visitors who treat the site and our staff with respect for this temporary closure – it will reopen soon with a new, clear no dogs policy.”
It is not the only reserve where staff are dealing with the issue of dogs disturbing people, livestock and wildlife. A visitor to Gamlingay Wood was bitten by a dog in February, and there have been several other instances of people, sheep and cows harassed by loose dogs. Last year a sheep was killed by an out of control dog at the Wildlife Trust’s Pegsdon Hills reserve in Bedfordshire.
On March 18th a new amendment to the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act comes into force giving landowners' stronger protections against the harm caused by loose dogs. The new legislation introduces unlimited fines, expands the areas covered to include paths, and gives police increased powers to seize and detain dogs causing danger to livestock.
New statistics recently released by the National Farmers Union showed a ten per cent increase last year in dog attacks on livestock. They also revealed that 57% of people let their dogs off a lead in the countryside, with 1 in 10 admitting their dog has no recall.
The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire recently changed its dogs policy in response to the growing issue. Dogs must be kept on leads at all nature reserves managed by the Trust all year round – except in a small number of clearly signposted areas. Where there are particularly sensitive nesting birds or livestock we reserve the right to ban dogs entirely from the site.
Some of the incidents reported on Wildlife Trust BCN reserves over the past 12 months,
- A loose dog jumped on a family at Beechwoods in Cambridgeshire leaving them shaken.
- A woman was bitten by a loose dog at Beechwoods and attended A&E.
- A reserve officer at Pegsdon Hills in Bedfordshire approached a couple after their dog repeatedly chased sheep. They responded with rude and aggressive behaviour.
- A staff member was nipped by a dog on a lead as it walked past. The owner apologised and has taken the dog to a behaviourist.
- A loose dog ran towards a staff member and a volunteer. The owner was asked to put it on a lead and they responded, ‘Shut up’.
- A jogger was bitten on the arm by a dog at the Nene Wetlands breaking the skin. The dog was on a lead but the owner had no control over it.
- A dog was seen by a member of staff at Old Sulehay in Northamptonshire attacking and killing a woodcock.
For the Wildlife Trust BCN’s full policy on dogs on nature reserves visit www.wildlifebcn.org/dogs
For information on the new legislation covering dogs visit https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2025/12/18/law-changes-strengthen-protection-for-livestock/
For the latest NFU figures on dogs attacking livestock visit https://www.nfuonline.com/news/nfu-mutual-livestock-worrying-statistics/