Three off-road drivers have been convicted after their own TikTok videos helped expose a damaging 4×4 rampage across a protected Welsh landscape.
John Robinson, Michael Williams and Joseph Hodgson were part of a convoy of seven 4x4s which travelled from Liverpool into the Welsh countryside before driving onto the Berwyn Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Denbighshire.
The group travelled more than 3km across privately owned land towards Moel Fferna, despite signs warning that private vehicles were not permitted.
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Their vehicles left huge tyre marks and deep ruts through rare peat and blanket bog habitats, with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) classifying the most serious damage as a Category 2 environmental impact.
But the group appeared to have documented their own actions on TikTok – footage which later helped investigators identify those involved, as reported by Need To Know.
The videos showed the vehicles driving through the protected peatland, while two became stuck and had to be towed out by the others, causing further damage.
NRW said the deep ruts caused long-term and potentially irreversible changes to the bog’s hydrology, limiting its ability to recover naturally.
The court heard that a gate lock had also been cut with bolt croppers and signs torn down to allow the convoy to enter the site.
Robinson pleaded guilty to criminal damage, while Williams had previously admitted damaging the ancient peat and blanket bog.
Both men, from Liverpool, were ordered to pay around £2,000 each and were disqualified from driving for two months.
Hodgson, also from Liverpool, failed to attend court but was found guilty in his absence. A warrant has been issued for his arrest so he can be brought before the court for sentencing.
Kirsty Roberts, on behalf of NRW, said protected sites were designated because they supported rare and fragile wildlife, adding that blanket bog was particularly sensitive to damage.
She said deep ruts could alter the water balance for years, degrading habitat and reducing carbon storage.
NRW’s specialist peatland team will now carry out restoration work at the site.
PC Eryl Lloyd, of North Wales Police’s Rural Crime Team, said investigating damage to SSSIs and natural habitats was a priority.
The case serves as a warning that social media footage can leave a digital trail – in this case helping authorities track down drivers accused of damaging a protected piece of the Welsh countryside.
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