A BOTTLE digger has hit back at claims historic woodlands has been damaged.

The man was responding to concerns by a group who work to preserve a patch of woodland between Briarlyn Road and Birchington Avenue in Birchencliffe, known as The Dodge

The Friends of the Dodge group blamed men foraging for valuable bottles for “ruining the area”.

They claimed the diggers had felled a protected tree and were threatening wildlife.

Now one of the bottle diggers has spoken out and claimed they have not damaged the woods.

The man, who does not want to be named, said the Friends of the Dodge were happy with their work, apart from one member who had repeatedly complained.

He said: “The accusation that a tree has been cut down is absolutely true but I believe it was done by the Friends of the Dodge themselves.

“We actually witnessed the tree being cut up and it’s still there forming a pathway the Friends have made.

“The statement the resident made about council officials coming out to us is also true, but they did not ask us to leave.

“They asked for our assurance that we would not dig under the tree canopies or damage any trees as there are Tree Protection Orders on them.

“We agreed and they were happy for us to continue and they said they would re-visit the site in the future to check up.

“They were also happy no trees had been affected by us prior to the visit.

“Other members of the Friends are quite happy with us digging the site and an arrangement has been made for us to dig in a certain area with brambles, nettles and rubbish on the surface.

“The Friends have been busy planting up the area we have cleared and seem quite happy”.

The digger, who hails from Huddersfield, said he travelled the country looking for bottles for his collection.

He added: “We have found a few interesting bits but nothing too great at The Dodge.

“We will dig anywhere in the country if it’s a good site. Victorian spa towns are some of the best places as the people were wealthy so the rubbish was better.

“Huddersfield has had some good sites in the past but most are now gone.

“Huddersfield is my home town so I enjoy digging the local bits from old local companies.

“It’s true to say bottle digging has had some bad press in the past, and to be honest in some cases rightly so, but much of the good side of the hobby is never heard about, like the nature trail we created at the Golcar garden centre.

“We levelled the waste derelict land, clearing scrub and rubbish, dug a pond out and now it’s a great space for the centre.

“We’ve given duplicate bottles to the charity shops and one local digger gives talks to the Women’s Guild and other groups about the hobby.

“It’s a case of a few bad eggs spoil it for the rest of us”.