Winter visits to England's green spaces fewest in four years – survey

Trips to the coast, to green spaces in towns and to the countryside all decreased during wet and stormy season

The number of trips made to England's coasts, parks and countryside between December and February was the lowest in four winters, according to a survey.

Natural England said visits fell 15% from the same quarter last year, from 751.8m to 637.9m visits. It was the first fall recorded by the agency's monitor of engagement with the natural environment (Mene) survey since 2011, and the lowest level for the season since 2011/12 when there were 628.4m visits.