Badger Burrowing Sites, Southwest, 2018

Home > Projects > Badger Burrowing Sites, Southwest, 2018

Badger Burrowing Sites, Southwest, 2018

On a yearly basis Network Rail identify locations on railway lines throughout the United Kingdom where animal burrows potentially threaten the safety of the railway line. This year sixteen sites have been selected in the southwest of England as being high priority. The QTS Group were commissioned to carry out remedial works at these sites including gassing rabbits, excluding badgers, filling cavities and meshing the embankments and cutting sides where necessary.

Whitcher Wildlife Ltd were commissioned to carry out badger surveys at the sites to identify where badgers were present and to advise on the way to proceed. Where badgers are identified to be potentially affecting the safety of the railway line exclusion works will be carried out under a Natural England licence. Artificial badger setts will be constructed to replace any main badger setts which may be prior to works commencing on the sites during July 2018.

On receipt of the licences Whitcher Wildlife Ltd will advise on areas to be cleared of vegetation and meshed for the purpose of excluding the badgers. Whitcher Wildlife Ltd will then fit one-way exclusion gates to the setts to prevent the badgers from entering the setts. These gates will be monitored until the exclusion period is complete.

Upon completion of the exclusion period Whitcher Wildlife Ltd will remove the exclusion gates and supervise the grout filling of the badger setts to ensure that no cavities remain underneath the railway line and to prevent the badgers from returning.


Go Back
Badger Burrowing Sites Badger Burrowing Sites Badger Burrowing Sites Badger Burrowing Sites