CAMPING, litter and small fires will no longer be tolerated in a Colchester park.

Colchester police have joined forces with street and park wardens to clamp down on a growing issue on the Hilly Fields Local Nature Reserve, in Lexden.

Signs saying ‘no fires’ and ‘no camping’ have been put up at every entrance, and patrols have been stepped up.

PC Henri Hurst said: “Hilly Fields is a really lovely conservation area, and it’s such a shame a minority can ruin it in this way.

“A couple of recent fires have actually been quite large, and destroyed quite a sizeable area of undergrowth. Fortunately, we weren’t faced with far more serious consequences and no one was injured.

“However, with the hotter weather coming, it is a worry small fires could easily spread and become uncontrollable.

“Anyone caught lighting a fire or littering Hilly Fields will be dealt with robustly.”