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Spodden Valley: Bats and wildlife crime...

Save Spodden Valley | 08.09.2005 05:41 | Animal Liberation | Ecology | Social Struggles

This Friday night (9th September) South Lancashire Bat Group will be conducting a bat walk in Healey Dell nature reserve. The Friends of Healey Dell welcome all who want to be ‘batty about bats’ .The walk starts from the Warden’s lodge at 8.15pm.

a Healey Dell millpond at dusk
a Healey Dell millpond at dusk


Last month, Save Spodden Valley campaigners met up with the South Lancashire Bat Group as they conducted a survey of mill ponds within the Spodden Valley. This was part of a wider project to monitor bat activity around many former industrial sites throughout Lancashire.

Late last year the Greater Manchester Bat group took Save Spodden Valley campaigners for a bat walk bedside the River Spodden.

The Spodden Valley has significant numbers of bats. Great concerns were expressed when woodlands were destroyed surrounding the former asbestos factory in May 2004.

On Woodlands Rd, adjoining the Healey Dell nature reserve, the broadleaf trees formed a 'tunnel' of woodland cover above the road. At evening times, bats were a common sight catching small flying insects. There were older oak trees in the woodland with holes and crevices that were used by nesting birds and bats.

Photographs of the damage done to the woodlands by the developers can be seen at:

 http://www.spodden-valley.co.uk/beforeandafter.htm


The Save Spodden Valley website has collected some information about Bats and wildlife crime:

 http://www.spodden-valley.co.uk/BatsandWildlifeCrime.htm


What can you do to protect bats?

All species of bats and their habitats are protected in law. If you have information about bats or their roosts being disturbed or destroyed in the Spodden Valley contact Steve Parker by emailing  parkazoo@hotmail.com . The South Lancashire Bat Group’s website can be viewed at: www.slbg.org.uk

For national enquires, contact the Conservation Trust on 0845 1300 228.

Much of the Spodden Valley is now protected by Tree Preservation Orders (TPO)

This means that trees used as bat feeding areas have additional legal protection.

All species of bats are protected by law – here is a quick guide:

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) protects bats and their roosts in the Spodden Valley. Recently, the WCA 1981 has been strengthened by into UK law what is better known as the Habitats Directive. All bats are listed as 'European protected species of animals'.

the implementation of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CroW 2000)

The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 implements It is an offence for any person in the Spodden Valley to:

- Intentionally kill, injure or take a bat. Under the Habitats Regulations it is an offence to deliberately capture or kill a bat.

- Possess or control a live or dead bat, any part of a bat, or anything derived from a bat. This is an offence of strict liability, (this means the person in possession of the bat has to show, on a balance of probabilities, that they have it lawfully. An offence is not committed if the bat was not killed, taken, or sold to them or anyone else illegally.

- Intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any place that a bat uses for shelter or protection The Court’s have interpreted this to protect all bat roosts whether bats are present or not. Prior to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, there was a defence in law if somebody was reckless in their actions that harmed bats- this defence is no longer available.

- Under the Habitats Regulations it is an offence to damage or destroy a breeding site or resting place of any bat. This is an absolute offence – this means that, intent or recklessness does not have to be proved.

- Set and use articles capable of catching, injuring or killing a bat (such as a trap or poison), or knowingly cause or permit such an action. This includes sticky traps intended for animals other than bats.

- Make a false statement in order to obtain a licence for bat work.

- Possess articles capable of being used to commit an offence, or to attempt to commit an offence. These are punishable in a like manner as for the actual offence.
Police and court powers

A police officer who suspects with reasonable cause that a person is committing or has committed an offence can stop and search them, search or examine any relevant thing in their possession, and seize it. They can also enter land other than a dwelling house without a warrant, or enter and search a dwelling house (with or without other persons) with a warrant. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 defines bat offences as “arrestable”.

The potential fine for each offence is £5,000 per bat. In England and Wales an offender can also be imprisoned for six months.
Local Authorities

The Wildlife and Countryside Act requires Local Authorities to inform the public and especially schoolchildren about wildlife protection law. The Act also gives Local Authorities the power to take prosecutions in its area.

Save Spodden Valley
- e-mail: SaveSpoddenValley@hotmail.com
- Homepage: http://www.Spodden-Valley.co.uk

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Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

Bat

08.09.2005 09:02

I was told the other day that 98% of British houses have bats in the attic- surely that can't be a correct figure???

Bat


Countryside Properties- 'blind as a bat' ?

19.09.2005 16:38

OK- I know bats aren't blind but perhaps these developers have been using 'selective radar' regarding wildlife!

Are there none so blind as those who do not want to see?

The Environmental Impact Assessment sent to Rochdale Council that can be viewed at the Planning Department has some dodgy comments in it about bats in the Spodden Valley around the asbestos factory...

what was once Europe's largest factory under one roof has no loft voids remaining anywhere on the site? (see paragraph 6.26)

A bat survey was conducted a month AFTER the woodlands were felled and put into chipping machines. Guess what they conclude?...

...paragraph 6.30:

"it appears the trees on site were too immature to offer suitable sites for roosting bats".

-yeah- a month AFTER 2 acres of mature broadleaf woodlands were desrtroyed!

Quite a selective comment... "roosting bats". They forget to mention that UK law now criminalises reckless damage or obstruction to any place that a bat uses for shelter and protection.

Like the report says, the Habitats Directive goes further- it is an absolute offence to damage or destroy the breeding site or resting place of any bat.

But who is going to police this?

We don't live in world that allows environmental reports to 'turn a blind eye' do we?

Hope not.

Disgusted


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