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Bats can be affected by:
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Repairs to and replacement of roofs.
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Any works to lofts or sub-division of roofspaces
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(such as installing fire doors).
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Work to flashing, eaves, soffits and barge boards.
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Works to beams and joists, especially those with
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hollow mortise joints.
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Repointing and sealing up crevices in brickwork,
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especially around doors and windows.
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Timber treatment and pest control.
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Works to cellars and other underground voids, like
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icehouses and mines.
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Bats need all the help we can give them to survive in our modern world. The tide is against them, because their food, small flying insects, is in decline in our pesticide-ridden and increasingly sanitised environment. Many buildings can be made more bat- friendly by installing bat bricks or purpose designed roosting paces. However, this will not help bats unless there is plenty of foraging habitat around. Canals, ponds, lakes, rivers, hedges, woodland, mature gardens and parkiand are ideal. If bats are already present, it is worth considering how their life can be improved by creating habitats, as well as remembering to protect them from harm.
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Sue Timnis is nature conservation officer with Leicester City Council.
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