What is it and what can I do about it?

Voles or squirrels that are burying nuts.
DH says probably voles.
We had them earlier this year. Is the grass a bit long? They like a bit of cover.

Nothing buried and the grass is short.

We used to get bees making holes

If it’s just small patches could it be worms? I have some too.

I agree with the possibility of a squirrel. Not finding anything is not a sign it is not a squirrel.

Worms,

Would worms "fold" back the layer of grass. It looks like something with claws has scratched the holes - too big to be worms I think -over an inch across. I suppose it could be squirrels (I've had problems with them in by garage roof in the past!) but the holes are very shallow - seems more like something is looking for something rather than hiding something.

Badgers make holes rather like the divots left by a heavy golf club. Rooks and crow ssometimes make smaller holes, tearing up the turf in search of grubs. Squirrels sometimes dig holes but fail to bury anything, possibly because they're searching for buried items, or retrieving something buried earlier. Smaller, neater holes could be made by some sort of bee.

Squirrels or foxes digging up the underground nests of bumblebees or of small rodents, maybe digging up the larvae or pupae of daddylonglegs ( leatherjackets) Young foxes are now out in the world finding food for themselves, and a mouthful is better than nothing, and doesn't need to be chased and caught.

Magpies possibly.

We have green woodpeckers where I live.

Thanks for the ideas of what it could be - any advice on how to deal with it?

I don't think you can deal with it. If it is wildlife digging up other wildlife, the most you can tell do is tell yourself that the ones that have been dug up and eaten will be gone. However, the diggers may come back to check they didn't miss any!

Many times I have watched squirrels scrabbling away at the lawn to bury nuts and acorns. Sometimes they are successful, sometimes they give up and move on to the flower beds. They have been busy for a month or so here.

Sounds like squirrels to me either looking for what they buried or in fact burying something. The grass will soon spread over where they've been unless the lawn's like a bowling green.

Miner bees! I was listening to the BBC Radio Kent gardening programme this morning, and someone asked the same question.

I had something like this a couple of years ago. The holes were round and about 2" across and about the same depth.
I noticed about half a dozen at first and every morning there were more. The holes almost looked like the ones made by a bulb planter, that takes a plug of earth out.
After a week there were more than twenty and I even wondered if someone was playing a prank on me.
Anyway, when the gardener arrived he told me that they had been made by a badger.
It stopped after a couple of weeks and has never happened since.

As already mentioned, it's probably birds (such as starlings or magpies) going after leatherjackets or worms, I've watched a few myself recently.

Update. Something has now dug a very deep hole under the garage window! Too small to be a badger, I really don't know what it can be and at this point I too scared to investigate!! Brother in law is calling in today so I will ask his advice.

Intrigued what creature this could be.
Let us know if you get to the bottom of this mystery sunseeker.

Sunseeker

I do think you need to get expert advice if this has happened.

Have you thought to rig up a camera?

Do you find any droppings?