THE trampling effect of walkers, bikers and rabbits is damaging British Camp,

That is the verdict of Malvern man, William Neale, who has a degree in environmental land management.

He has raised concerns over the conservation of the Hills, saying that gullies are steadily increasing in width and length around Herefordshire Beacon.

Mr Neale, of Court Road, said: "If preventative measures are not put into place the quality of this monument will be lost forever and we will have failed our future generations in not preserving it when we had the resources and expertise to do so," he said.

But Ian Rowat, director of Malvern Hills Conservators, said because British Camp is a scheduled ancient monument they need to refer any work to English Heritage.

"We've had a survey done and we have been in negotiations with English Heritage for the past few months to pinpoint what work needs to be done," he said.

"We can't just fill the holes in with soil, it needs to be done properly. English Heritage have now given their approval and work will begin this winter.

"Obviously we can't stop people from using the Hills and we wouldn't want to. But we will be applying for more grants and spending more money on the Hills. "We'll be spending £14,000 over the next three years and 50 per cent of that money will come from English Heritage."