A Liverpool man has been banned from entering a large protected area of the Berwyn mountains for three years after being convicted of causing serious damage to protected countryside.

Joseph Hodgson, aged 23, was one of three men convicted over damage caused to the Berwyn Site of Special Scientific Interest in Denbighshire on 1 June 2025.

Seven 4x4 vehicles travelled from Liverpool in convoy and drove more than three kilometres across privately owned land to reach Moel Fferna, where vehicles are not permitted.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said the vehicles left deep tyre tracks across peat and blanket bog habitats, both of which are rare and environmentally important.

Images and videos posted on TikTok during the incident were used as part of the NRW investigation. The footage showed the vehicles driving across the protected habitat, with two vehicles, including one belonging to Hodgson, becoming stuck and having to be towed out.

NRW said the vehicles caused further damage while being recovered from the bog.

Hodgson did not attend an earlier court hearing and was found guilty of criminal damage in his absence on the basis of joint enterprise. He was subsequently ordered to pay more than £2,000, including £1,000 compensation for damage to the SSSI and £1,000 in costs.

He was also given a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order preventing him from entering the Berwyn SSSI. The order was imposed because the offences were committed while he was already subject to a community order for similar countryside offences.

Two other men involved in the case, John Robinson and Michael Williams, both from Liverpool, were convicted at an earlier hearing. They were each fined and disqualified from driving for two months.

The Berwyn SSSI covers more than 254 square kilometres and is protected because of its important habitats and wildlife.

The damage to the landscape can be more significant than the tyre tracks themselves. Peat and blanket bog are wetland habitats that develop over very long periods, and deep vehicle ruts can disrupt drainage and the water balance of the peat, potentially affecting the habitat for years.

Peatlands also store large amounts of carbon, meaning damage and drying can reduce their ability to provide that environmental benefit.

NRW said the incident also affected privately owned farmland and land managed for conservation, potentially creating additional costs for landowners and disrupting agricultural activity.

Kirsty Roberts, speaking on behalf of Natural Resources Wales, said protected sites such as the Berwyn are designated because they support some of the country's rare and fragile wildlife.

She urged people using the countryside to follow signs and stay on lawful routes, adding that NRW would take action where protected sites are damaged.

NRW has powers to investigate and take enforcement action when protected sites are damaged, including through unauthorised vehicle use.

People can report illegal driving in the countryside to North Wales Police on 101, or report concerns about damage to protected sites directly to Natural Resources Wales.