Each spring toads, frogs and newts emerge from their wintering areas and head to ponds to breed. Common toads in particular will try to return to their ancestral ponds.
Their route to a pond often involves crossing roads, and each year nationally thousands of these animals are killed by vehicles during this migration period, which often lasts a few weeks.
Both in Norfolk and across the UK, volunteers have set up Toad Patrols to help these animals. This involves patrolling the roads on a migration route soon after dusk, when the toads like to move, and moving the amphibians to the safety of the grass verge or nearest pond.
If you are interested in finding your local patrol, or want to find out how to set up your own, please visit
Toadwatch (Norfolk) or
Froglife (UK-wide) for information. It is particularly important to get advice on safety and registering your Patrol for insurance reasons.