RAF Barnham, near Thetford, has become the focus of weeks of anger since the Home Office earmarked it as one of three sites in the country to house asylum seekers.

Two town council meetings have descended into chaos, two people have been arrested after an MP was pursued through the streets, and hundreds have protested at the gates.

But amid all the furore, the plans may face its biggest hurdle yet in the form of the stone curlew - one of Britain's rarest birds, which nests in the countryside around the site.

The bird's habitats are protected by law and local councillors argue this means the site cannot be used for asylum seeker accommodation.

Breckland is covered with a range of special environmental protections (Image: Breckland)

The military base lies within the Breckland Special Protection Area, an internationally designated wildlife zone which stretches across Norfolk and Suffolk. 

Barnham Cross Common, which borders the base, also carries its own protections as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The areas have earned these protections largely because it is a habitat........

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