A noctule bat

Bats can be affected by:

•

Repairs to and replacement of roofs.

•

Any works to lofts or sub-division of roofspaces

(such as installing fire doors).

•

Work to flashing, eaves, soffits and barge boards.

•

Works to beams and joists, especially those with

hollow mortise joints.

•

Repointing and sealing up crevices in brickwork,

especially around doors and windows.

•

Demolition.

•

Timber treatment and pest control.

•

Works to cellars and other underground voids, like

icehouses and mines.

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.

Sue Timnis is nature

conservation officer with

Leicester City Council.