I write to thank The Hereford Times for its front page feature (December 11), 'Nest Wrecker is fined £6,000.'

All those concerned with the successful prosecution of this sad and disgraceful case merit a big thank you and congratulations, i.e the concerned and public-spirited Mr Jones of Hereford who alerted the authorities, West Mercia Police and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Hereford Times for giving the case maximum publicity.

The delightful little sand martins, whose nests were callously destroyed in this incident, are a pleasure to behold annually as they return from Africa to their long-established nesting sites in Herefordshire. These little birds after their long migration to our shores deserve our respect and kind consideration and our protection.

My heartfelt thanks to those I have mentioned above.

MARTIN QUIGLEY,

Hunderton Avenue, Hereford.