The annual closure of Charlcombe Lane in Bath has begun, helping with the migration of toads, frogs and newts as they head to their breeding lake.
The road closure, which will be in place until Sunday 23rd March, is only one of four road closures in the UK.
It has played a vital role in helping to keep the local population of amphibians stable over the last 20 years.
Local volunteers with the Charlcombe Toad Rescue Group will be out on patrol every night for six weeks from dusk onwards to help common toads, common frogs and newts on their journey.
Collectively they will spend more than 600 hours in high visibility jackets, armed with torches and buckets walking slowly up and down the road.
Toads, frogs and newts are carefully picked up with latex-free, powder-free gloves, to avoid any chemicals from volunteer hands affecting them, and taken safely in buckets to drop off points to help them on their way towards the lake.
Last year more than fifty volunteers helped 3,225 amphibians across a half mile stretch of Charlcombe Lane during the migration season.
It was the second-best year for the number of amphibians recorded since the road closure started in 2003, and the busiest in 14 years.
2024 also saw the largest number of newts helped on record and it was the best for toads since 2013.
Before the closure of Charlcombe Lane the casualty rate was sixty-two per cent, and in 2024 it was six per cent.
Helen Hobbs, who has been managing Charlcombe Toad Rescue Group since 2003, said: “Closing Charlcombe Lane, with the support of the local community, has been a game changer for our amphibian population.
“It has meant that toads, frogs and newts have been able to buck national trends and stand a fighting chance of flourishing.
“With a changing climate it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict the peak times for amphibian movements, which is why closing the road for six weeks really matters.
“Last year the busiest period was early February and in 2023 it was mid-March.”
Bath & North East Somerset Council has supported the patrol and road closure since 2003, however the Charlcombe Toad Rescue Group fundraises to pay for the advertising costs around the road closure, and VolkerHighways sponsor the group with the provision of signage each year.
Charlie Cox, Project Manager for VolkerHighways, said: “We are proud to support such a worthy group, who are working to improve and save the lives of thousands of amphibians each year.
“The work the Charlcombe Toad Rescue Group does is hugely impressive, and we are delighted that we are able to contribute to its successful work.”
Back in 2016 a team of scientists used data collected by toad patrols to explore what had been happening to the population of common toads across the UK.
The research demonstrated that the common toad populations had declined by 68 per cent in just 30 years.
There are currently more than 247 patrols across the UK helping amphibians during the migration season.
All the data collected by patrollers is collated by conservation charity Froglife, and in 2024 over 162,000 amphibians were given a helping hand across A roads or quiet country lanes.
Sheila Gundry, Head of Operations, at Froglife, said: “At Charlcombe Lane there is still a healthy population, thanks to the hard work of the toad patrol who rescue toads, frogs and newts even on wet winter evenings.
“The temporary road closure makes a big difference too, as do the surrounding landowners who look after the breeding pond and foraging grounds.”
