Why are nets appearing over trees and hedges?

It's finally spring, the time of year when the flowers bloom, the sun is out for longer and birds are nesting.

But nesting is not being made easy in many parts of England, with increased reports of developers covering hedges and trees with netting.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says developers do this to make it easier for them to remove greenery when the time comes, as although it's an offence to destroy an active nest, there are no laws to prevent the installation of nets to stop birds nesting in the first place.

One of several high-profile figures to condemn the practice is naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham, who has described it as "ghastly" and the "antithesis of everything conservation stands for".

The RSPB - which says the UK has lost more than 40 million birds in the past 50 years - has now asked the government to address this issue.

Read more