Hop to it…

Residents of the village adjoining Thwaite Common organise a toad patrol every spring to assist with the safe migration of these amphibians to their local breeding grounds. Residents were moved to take action after witnessing hundreds of toads becoming victims to road traffic on local country lanes.

Advertisements are place in local newsletters to recruit up to 20 volunteers for the coming season. Planning meetings are held where volunteers are placed on a rota to patrol toad crossing hot-spots on suitable evenings during the spring. Laminated signs warn motorists of the hazard and encourage them to slow down and take care around areas of peak activity. The group has had good success. Each volunteer records details of the numbers of toads seen on their shift and these are fed to the local coordinator, Stephen Burrell. The collated data is sent to Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.