IT'S a case of no more toads in the holes after a kind-hearted Runcorn woman is saving the lives of toads, frogs and newts being trapped in roadside gullies by installing amphibian ladders in Marina Village.
Kay Houghton, who spends hours catching them and releasing them back to safety with the help of her husband Keith, has rescued 96 from drains last year.
She first became aware of the problem more than 10 years ago.
She said: “We noticed frogs were trapped in the drains and had to do something to help them out.
“This year we researched the problem and discovered there is a device that can be permanently installed in the drains which allows them to escape. We contacted the supplier, the British Herpetological Society and were delighted to find out that we could install some in Marina Village.”
With help from routine and reactive highway maintenance policy and resources department of Halton Borough Council Mrs Halton installed the devices on last Sunday. Nine have been installed already with four more to come.
Praising Mrs Houghton's efforts, Trevor Rose, designer of the device and secretary of the British Herpetological Society, said: “This is a brilliant initiative on Mrs Houghton’s part.
"Last year alone she rescued 96 amphibians from the drains. This year we hope many more will be saved without the need for her intervention."
Angela Julian, coordinator of ARG-UK added: “Raising awareness of the problem of animals falling into gully pots, leading to welfare concerns for the trapped animals which are then unable to escape and the larger impact of these deaths on populations of some of our most vulnerable native amphibians; as well as involving the wider public in citizen science are all high on our agenda.
"This project meets all of those criteria.”
Mr Rose continued: "Gully pot entrapment is one of the biggest killers of our native amphibians and hundreds of thousands of frogs, toads and newts die on our roads and in gully pots every year.
"It’s just not a sustainable situation and we see massive declines in amphibian populations nationally.
"This is conservation at the coal-face and it’s time for the relevant authorities to take biodiversity much more seriously and initiate similar projects in problem areas everywhere, before it’s too late.”
"We’re really proud to be involved in these grass roots projects and Mrs Houghton should be commended for being so proactive."
The initiative has been running for four years and has supplied 1,750 ladders at 86 sites across the UK, with interest continually growing.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here