Can you spot the bats? (You might need to look pretty closely!)
These were found during a survey a few weeks ago having a snooze underneath a motorway bridge.
In the UK all bats and their roosts are legally protected by UK and European legislation under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 (under which all UK bat species are European Protected Species) and schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
In recent years some UK bat species such as the Common Pipistrelle and Horseshoe Bats have started to show signs of recovery. This highlights the positive impacts of the strong legislation put in place and conservation efforts. However, there is still lots to do nationwide towards their recovery across all species.
Our Consultancy division has teams out across the south working on a series of bat roost assessments. Checking bridges in advance of planned maintenance work.