Officers investigating the tampering of active badger setts near Newark have charged two suspects.
Reports were received that a sett had been disturbed in woodland in Rolleston on 30 November 2025.
On arrival, officers found that seven of the eight entrances had been blocked.
Steven Reynolds, 37, and Jacob Whalley, 33, have now been charged with four counts of interfering with badger setts.
Reynolds, of Snowfield View, Wirksworth, Derbyshire, and Whalley, of Kennel Drive, Retford, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 21 May.
They have since been released on bail and are next due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 26 November.
PC Gareth Nicholls, of the Newark Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:
“Tackling wildlife crime helps preserve the countryside for future generations and ensures protected species can thrive.
“Badgers and their setts are protected by the Protection of Badgers Act, making it a criminal offence to damage or obstruct them.
“We work closely with landowners and partners to ensure harm to wildlife is thoroughly investigated and those responsible are brought before the courts.”
