Two beetle species - never before recorded in Hertfordshire - have been discovered in a Welwyn Garden City park.

Panshanger Park has undergone an independent survey on species of beetle that feed on decaying or dead wood.

One of the beetles discovered is a rare species native to ancient woodland, while the other has only been identified at four other locations in the British Isles.

A further 12,000 species of beetles have been identified in the park, alongside 19 species of dragonfly and healthy populations of water voles and bats.

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Michael Charlton, mineral estates manager at Tarmac - which has owned the park since the 1980s - has named the park as “one of the most important places for wildlife in Hertfordshire".

Adrian Dutton, an entomologist at EMEC Ecology has said that the diverse population of saproxylic beetles marks the park as “one of the most important locations in the UK, and potentially Europe".

Tarmac is working to enhance the park’s wildlife potential for the benefit of both nature and visitors.

This will include the planting of new trees to expand the area of wood pasture, alongside developing a more structurally diverse woodland population and a richer mosaic of habitats.

Recently, Tarmac has planted 17,000 new trees at the park.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Tarmac has owned the land since the 1980s.Tarmac has owned the land since the 1980s. (Image: Tarmac)

Phased mineral extraction of sand and gravel has been carried out in Panshanger Park since the 1990s, with much of these materials being used in the construction of roads and homes across Hertfordshire.

This quarrying has now been stopped, as Charlton recognises Tarmac as “stewards of this site” and has said that the thriving biodiversity of the park “demonstrates the ability to responsibly quarry and restore an area".

Sarah Clarkson, team leader at Natural England has said that Panshanger Park is a “good example of how nature can co-exist with people and still thrive”.

Conservation manager with Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, Tim Hill, is encouraging Hertfordshire residents to include big lumps of rotting wood in their gardens to provide homes for the saproxylic Coleoptera beetle species.

Panshanger Park is open to the public daily from 8am to 6pm.

Further information is available at panshangerpark.tarmac.com.