Police are investigating over concerns that non-native wildlife could have escaped into the Welsh countryside following the I'm A Celebrity Bushtucker trails. According to the Guardian, officers are looking into complaints that creatures such as spiders, cockroaches and maggots could threaten local wildlife in the 250-acre estate surrounding Gwrych Castle, where the show is being filmed.
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It comes after Springwatch presenter and naturalist Iolo Williams said he was appalled to see thousands of non-native cockroaches being used in one of the trials. He told the newspaper, "I'm not sure which species they're releasing, but I can tell you they're not native. We don't have those cockroaches here in the UK and we certainly don't have them in north Wales."
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Cockroaches and other bugs are frequently used in Bushtucker Trials
He continued: "Cockroaches are the ultimate survivors, and if they survive in north Wales and escape into the wild there, what effect are they going to have? I don't know, nobody knows... I just find it incredible that they're allowed to do this, and I'm not being a killjoy here. Why not use fish guts, or offal?"
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In response, a spokesperson for the ITV reality show said all the insects used in I'm A Celebrity trials are non-invasive species, stating: "They are only ever released in a contained area and collected immediately after filming. They are all purchased commercially within the UK and are normally bred as animal food."
There is concern over non-native species
But according to the newspaper, Natural Resources Wales, which gives out licences for the release of species, did not receive an application from ITV to release non-native species. If these species have been released without a licence it would be a breach of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
A spokesperson for north Wales police confirmed: "The matter is being investigated by officers from our rural crime team."
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