iNEWS reports a community group has saved wildlife-rich rare chalk grassland in the North Downs – home to nesting skylarks, orchids and wild thyme – by buying it.

Residents sprang into action when the 37.5-acre Pewley Down Fields in Guildford, Surrey, went up for sale. They quickly put a bid together and with the help of Surrey Wildlife Trust a new nature reserve will now be created to preserve the land in perpetuity for future generations. 

The Guardian reports road verges cover 1.2% of Great Britain, an area the size of Dorset, and could be used to grow wildflower meadows and create habitat for wildlife, a new study says. In a report outlining the scale of road verges in England, Scotland and Wales, researchers from the University of Exeter used Google Earth and Google Street View to estimate that verges account for about 1,000 sq miles (2,579 sq km) of the UK’s land.

According to the report, up to 707 sq km (27.47%) of road verges are short, frequently mown grassland. The rest includes 1,062 sq km (40.87%) of regular grassland, while 480 sq km (18.73%) is woodland, and 272 sq km (10.66%) is scrub.