The clay pits on the Humber foreshore were the focus of a tile and cement industry from 1850 to 1959.[3] The industrial sites were abandoned in the early 20th century once supplies of clay began to run out. The clay workings filled with water and became colonised by species of reeds. The reserve was acquired by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust in 1983, who opened it in the same year.[4]
The site was designed as a national nature reserve in April 2005.[5]
A tidal surge on 5 December 2013 caused by Cyclone Xaver breached the flood defences on the Humber bank, flooding the reserve. The visitor centre re-opened in August 2014.[6]
In 2020, a proposal was launched to develop a series of holiday lodges on the site of the former Humber Bridge Hotel, located within the reserve. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust formally campaigned against the development, citing that it would cause unavoidable disturbance to species protected by law such as marsh harrier, bearded tit, Cetti's warbler, kingfisher, and barn owl.[8] The planning application received more than 830 responses, almost all of which were negative, and was thus of one of the most-objected applications in North Lincolnshire's history.[9]
There are more than 250 species of moths, 230 species of wildflower, and at least 19 species of butterflies identified from Far Ings.[10] The first Eurasian bitterns to breed in Lincolnshire in over 30 years were seen at Far Ings in 2000.[11]ABlyth's reed warbler was spotted at the reserve in June 2020.[12]Amurmuration of several thousand starlings was filmed at the site by the BBC in January 2023.[13]
Media related to Far Ings National Nature Reserve at Wikimedia Commons
