More than 130 acres (54 hectares) of land in Leicestershire has been set aside for a major rewilding project.

Harborough District Council said it had purchased a site, equivalent to about 80 football pitches, close to Great Bowden near Market Harborough, for £1.9m.

The Market Harborough Rewilding Project will be supported by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT) to improve an area of countryside described as some of the most heavily-modified and nature-depleted in lowland England.