Police have completed an investigation into the effect on wildlife of a site under development in west Cornwall ahead of the G7 Summit.

Devon and Cornwall Police said it had been carrying out enquiries following allegations of Protection of Badgers Act offences in St Ives.

However, after completing their investigation officers found no offences to have been committed.

PC Chris Collins, rural crime officer for Cornwall, said: “Officers attended the site under development at Carbis Bay Hotel on March 18, 2021.

"We were accompanied by the Cornwall Council county ecologist and a representative from the Cornwall Badger Group with the permission of the landowner.

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“A previous ecological survey dated 2015 indicated the presence of a badger sett at the site, but this sett was removed at that time under licence from Natural England using the correct methods.”

A police spokesperson went on to say that officers and the partner organisations had discovered evidence of badgers in the locality, but that no evidence of badger setts or activity on the ground under development could be found.

"No wildlife crime offences have been identified in relation to these allegations," added Devon and Cornwall Police.

The Carbis Bay Hotel had previously issued a statement denying that badger setts were being disturbed in the work carried out.

Responding to concerns raised locally, the statement read: "The investments in the estate over recent years, including our on-site Energy Centre, have cemented Carbis Bay’s position as one of the UK’s best and greenest destinations, in one of the most beautiful bays in the country.

“We appreciate that our passion and commitment to the environment are shared by many, and would like to address the misunderstanding on social media, and reassure our guests and neighbours about the area that we are working on at the moment.

“Part of our long-standing plans for the estate included clearing a small self-seeded scrubland area to the side of the hotel, and work on this area started several years ago. We can confirm this was not ancient woodland and there are no badger sets on this piece of land.

“We are working closely with a local landscaping team to increase planting in this area replacing the scrubland with a plethora of trees and plants more suited to the coastal environment.

“The South West Coast Path is fully open and there are no plans for this to be re-routed. Our commitment to this important route through the estate includes the upgrading of the existing surface to improve access and safe passage to the beach.

“Carbis Bay Estate is committed to sustainability, and dedicated to protecting the environment now, and for generations to come.”

The hotel is currently carrying out buildings works ahead of hosting the G7 Summit in June.

However, yesterday Cornwall Council urged the hotel to stop the works and wait until permission had been granted.