AN AMATEUR photographer has captured the dramatic change experienced by a particular part of Whitley during recent flooding.
David Turner took to Fobney Nature Reserve on January 16 to find much of it submerged after heavy showers.
Sandwiched between the River Kennet and Kennet and Avon Canal, the nature reserve is a wetland protected area which has been lowered to be in connection with the River Kennet at various times of the year.
This was carried out as part of a project which involved the Environment Agency and Reading Borough Council in 2011 and has improved the site for birds, bats, fish, reptiles and amphibians.
Mr Turner, who is the curator of the Whitley Community Museum and member of the Friends of Fobney Island Wetland Nature Reserve group, said the change was not something he initially wanted.
“I didn’t want it. I couldn’t picture all these fields which I walk in to see the deer and foxes in the mornings, I couldn’t bear to lose all that magic,” he explained.
“But now I’m over the moon, it’s absolutely fantastic. They made the right decision.”
