ONE of Britain's endangered beetles has been spotted in Kent for the first time in nearly 60 years.

The noble chafer beetle was discovered in a traditional orchard near Sittingbourne by the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES).

It is the first recorded sighting in the county since 1948.

The noble chafer beetle, traditionally found in orchards, is under threat due to intensive farming techniques and the rise of imported produce from abroad.

Now PTES is working to protect the beetle and Britain's traditional orchards to secure a future for this species.

PTES's orchard project officer Anita Burrough said: "This exciting, new discovery is very important. It gives us hope that the beetle will be found in other old orchards in Kent as well as in other counties where suitable orchard habitat is present."

Since the 1950s traditionally managed orchards across the UK have declined by nearly 60 per cent.

They have been cleared away to make way for arable or grassland, or redeveloped as modern orchards to be more compatible with intensive farming techniques.

Orchard habitats have also become economically unviable due to competition in supermarkets from fruit imports.

The PTES said the noble chafer population has been decreasing over the last 100 years and faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

It was listed in 1999 under a UK Biodiversity Action Plan with PTES as the lead partner.

Since this time the PTES has been commissioning survey work to establish the remaining noble chafer populations to ensure the future conservation of the species.

A PTES spokesman said: "It is of vital importance that we maintain and preserve our unique and ancient orchards, not just for the noble chafer beetle but for other species which rely on such habitats."

NOBLE CHAFER BEETLE FACT FILE

Latin name: Gnorimus nobilis

Size: Approximately 2cm

Distinguishing features: metallic bronzy-green body, wrinkly wing cases with pale flecks

Habitat: Dead and decaying wood in particular ancient fruit trees

Life-cycle: Female noble chafers lay up to about 35 eggs which hatch after about two weeks. The larvae are white c-shaped grubs of around 3cm long which feed on rotting wood debris for around two years before emerging as adult beetles in early summer. The adult lifespan is approximately 4-6 weeks during which time they can sometimes be spotted visiting flowers such as hogweed and angelica.

Distribution: Recorded sightings are limited to key fruit-growing areas of Britain.