Thieves dig up a nest of England's rarest ant species with a spade from its last stronghold in Devon

Devon Wildlife Trust has reported the theft of a narrow-headed ant nest from Chudleigh Knighton Heath — a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the species' only remaining English habitat — to Devon and Cornwall Police. Species recovery officer Julia Balfour called it a "significant loss," adding that the disappearance of even a single colony undoes years of painstaking conservation work. Staff discovered the nest was gone after spotting obvious evidence that someone had been digging at the site with a spade.

Narrow-headed ants are nationally rare and near-threatened on the IUCN red list, with a single nest holding between 1,000 and 5,000 ants and queens that live up to 25 years.

Buglife conservation officer Laura Krusin warned the removal could have a "catastrophic impact on the population, putting even more pressure on an already threatened species".

Removing material from a Site of Special Scientific Interest is a criminal offence; Devon and Cornwall Police have appealed for anyone with information to get in touch.