MINISTRY of Defence officials have confirmed land residents feared had been "ecologically destroyed" has been ploughed.

Middlewick Ranges is earmarked for 1,000 homes by Colchester Council after owners The Ministry of Defence (MOD) agreed to sell it off.

While no firm housing plans have been lodged by a developer, Dagmar Engelke, who lives near to the ranges, said around half the area’s grassland had been “destroyed” and turned into dessert, by the top level of soil being scraped off.

He added: “This destruction has devastating consequences for wildlife. The wild flowers, and the bees and butterflies feeding on it, have gone. The skylarks, ground nesting birds that rely on grassland, have lost their habitat. So have lizards, snakes, rodents and other animals."

Mr Engelke said despite the land not being sold for housing yet or the public being notified of which part will have homes built, the “destruction of the ecosystem has started.”

But an MOD spokesperson said: "The area in question is leased to a farmer, a common practice across the MOD estate to generate income which is reinvested in defence.

"The farmer has had this parcel of land as arable grassland for several years and has now chosen to plough it. This has no impact on the operation of the Ranges."