Stag beetles are threatening to derail a community campaign to restore a vandalised and overgrown cemetery.

Volunteers who were clearing bramble thickets from Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery were forced to down tools after being warned they were breaking the law.

The working party were handed a leaflet by an anonymous complainant which stated that stag beetles were a protected species.

The volunteers, belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, travelled from all over Sussex to clear brambles so graves obscured for generations could be seen again.

The stag beetle is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 But Tom Wye, chairman of the Friends of Broadwater and Worthing Cemetery, says he has never seen a stag beetle at the cemetery, off South Farm Road.

He said: “The man handed over a leaflet informing the volunteers that they were destroying the habitat of the stag beetle and that he would be informing the council.

“The volunteers immediately packed up their tools and left. I thanked them for the excellent work they had carried out and apologised for the upset the incident caused.”

Mr Wye also received a call from police after a protester rang the station saying birds' nests would be disturbed by clearance work.

He said anybody could contact the Friends if they were concerned about wildlife or other issues with a view to settling matters amicably.