A PIECE of countryside described by local residents as a "wildlife sanctuary" has been put up for auction raising fears that it could be bulldozed by developers.

The field off Stag Lane, Chorleywood, is being advertised as "land with potential" on the Driver Norris auction site, despite the fact that there is no planning permission for the 1.5-acre Green Belt site.

Residents are so concerned by the implications of a sale that they are considering buying the land themselves and returning it to Three Rivers District Council to protect it. But with a minimum asking price of £90,000, it is unlikely they will be able to match competing bids when it goes to auction on Tuesday.

Read more about this story in tomorrow's Watford Observer.