WHEN I read the story about the police helicopter being scrambled to follow a family for stealing twigs from an Oxfordshire woodland (Oxford Mail, September 1), I was indeed shocked.

However, having given it more consideration, and with the extra information given in the second article, I have to say I am more incensed at the ignorance of the couple involved.

This area is not common or public land and no-one has the right to remove anything without the landowner’s permission.

The fact that the land is a designated nature reserve makes their actions worse.

They chose the area for a family day out because of its beauty and natural state, so why would they vandalise it?

I’m sure they wouldn’t remove eggs, plants or animals, but dead and fallen wood are a vital part of any ecosystem and removing them will have an impact.

By all means let the children play with and, yes, maybe even keep some sticks. But to remove six carrier bags full to use as free fuel is irresponsible.

To then disregard a challenge by the warden is antisocial, disrespectful and a bad example to set for their daughters.

Do we all get to chose which rules to follow, or just this family?

If everyone did this, what would happen to Chinnor Hill and other areas like it? As a county resident I love the beautiful areas of natural and scientific importance that are open to the public.

But if behaviour like this spreads then we will have reserves and SSSIs ringed with barbed wire, to protect them from people with no real sense of respect for the environment, or the efforts needed to keep these places as functioning ecosystems, not just pretty playgrounds.

So thank you Thames Valley Police, for showing us that the law applies to everyone, that no-one should steal from anywhere, and that rural crime does get a rapid response from a force sometimes accused of ignoring the countryside to concentrate on higher-profile urban areas.

Gemma Morgan, Wantage