THE Swindon-based managers of a company that supplies quarries won a top award for creating a thriving wildlife habitat.

Hills Quarry Products received a highly-commended Restoration Award from the national Mineral Products Association for its environmental efforts to restore areas of the Shorncote Quarry in the Cotswold Water Park, home to a wide variety of domestic and exotic birds.

Natural England chairman Dr Tony Juniper CBE handed over an award to representatives from the company at a glitzy ceremony in London. It was attended by representatives from quarrying companies from across the UK.

Group director of Hills Quarry Products Peter Andrew said: “Winning this award is a fantastic achievement for Hills but especially so for our colleagues working at Shorncote Quarry.

"The award recognises, and emphasises, our dedication to providing much improved land after quarrying.”

“Our long-standing collaborative relationship with the Cotswold Water Park Trust has meant that we have been able to create these stunning biodiverse habitats for nature to thrive.”

The Cotswold Water Park extends to 40 square miles along the Wiltshire and Gloucestershire border and has 150 lakes developed from a century of gravel extraction.

The award-winning Shorncote Quarry has produced nine of the water park’s lakes, which are used by flocks of birds for wading, migrating, breeding, feeding and nesting.

The Mineral Products Association’s chief executive Nigel Jackson said: “By creating new habitats during quarry restoration, the mineral products industry is a pioneer in the field of nature conservation.

“The unmanicured and naturally regenerating areas at Shorncote Quarry are providing excellent habitats for stonechats, goldfinches, little ringed plovers, kingfishers, sand martins, oyster catchers, marsh harriers, hobbies and lapwings.

“Starling murmurations are common over Shorncote’s reed beds and the created islands have attracted bitterns, little egrets and spotted crakes to take up residence.”