Road closed for six weeks so toads and frogs can cross safely

A road in Bath in Somerset will be closed for the next six weeks to allow toads, frogs and newts to cross safely to their historic breeding ground.

Volunteers will go out on patrol each night from 9 February until 29 March to help common toads, common frogs and newts on their journey.

The closure of Charlcombe Lane has happened each spring since 2003 with the agreement of Bath and North East Somerset Council.

There are more than 200 patrols across the UK helping amphibians during the migration season.

The Charlcombe Toad Rescue Group is hoping to help more than 3,000 amphibians reach the lake in the valley below where they typically go at this time of year.

Wearing hi-vis jackets and carrying torches and buckets, they walk slowly up and down the road looking for toads, frogs and newts.

When they find one they carefully pick it up with latex-free, powder-free gloves, and take the animals in buckets to drop-off points.

It is only one of four road closures in the UK and it has played a vital role in keeping the local population of amphibians stable during the last 20 years.

Last year more than 50 volunteers helped around 4,000 amphibians across a half-mile stretch of Charlcombe Lane, taking the total number recorded over the last 23 years to more than 50,000.

One of the biggest challenges facing amphibians is road traffic, as well as loss of habitat, and the disappearance of ponds.

Last year a team of scientists used data collected by toad patrols to explore what has been happening to the population of common toads across the UK.

The research demonstrated that the common toad population has declined by 41% in just 40 years.

A changing climate is also negatively affecting amphibians, with milder winters leading to them waking up from hibernation more frequently.