Volunteers have begun to clear debris from the Chelmer Blackwater Nature Reserve, which was devastated by an 'intentional' fire earlier this month.

A huge area of grassland between the River Chelmer and Tesco Extra car park was ravaged by flames on July 14.

Not only were wildlife habitats destroyed, community-funded infrastructure including walkways, bridges and boardwalks were also burnt to a crisp.

Chelmer Blackwater Nature Reserve called the fire a 'devastating act of vandalism.'

Now, efforts begin to rebuild and restore the meadow and other habitats.

John Buchanan, one of the wildlife directors at Ironworks Meadow, told Nub News he believes that while much of the wildlife will have 'perished', he hopes the area will eventually return to normality.

"Field Voles, Meadow Ants and Common Lizards are animals that have built up their populations over many years and will take a while to recover." John said.

"Nevertheless, the reserve team are resolved to rebuild the reserve and work hard to re-establish the meadow and other habitats.

The meadow is likely to remain closed for some time while clean up efforts continue.

"We will be working with experts from other organisations to make sure we use the best approach.

"One issue is that all the ash from the fire will have affected the soil and may make it more difficult to grow the meadow plants that were there before.

"The scrub and bushes that have burnt were home to nesting birds as well as butterflies and other insects.

"We hope that these also will recover eventually but it may take many years before they are fully re-colonised."

Bushes and scrubs that were burnt were home to birds and other wildlife.

He added: "The fire was devastating but the response from local people has been really heart-warming, both with donations and offers for help in the tidy up.

"There is a lot of hard work ahead of us but with the community behind us we hope to get the reserve up and running again as soon as we can."

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has said investigations are ongoing about the origins of the fire, but says crews believe it was started deliberately.

The fire service has called on anybody with information to contact Firestoppers. 

You can donate to the reserve via the GoFundMe here.