Survey method and timings

Surveying for badgers invloves looking for signs and evidence of badgers, including prints, hairs and setts. The survey is most effective undertaken during the autumn, winter and early spring, when vegetation is at a minimum.

Legislation

The 1992 Badgers Act repeals previous Badgers Acts of 1973 and 1991, and certain sections of other relevant acts such as The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, The Environmental Protection Act 1990, The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, The Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991, and The Criminal Justice Act 1991.

This makes it an offence to;

• Wilfully kill, injure or take, or attempts to kill, injure or take, a badger.
• Cruelly ill-treat a badger, dig for badgers, use badger tongs, use a firearm other than the type specified under the exceptions within the Act.
• Interfere with a badger sett by damaging, destroying, obstructing, causing s dog to enter a sett, disturbing an occupied sett - either by intent or by negligence.
• Sell or offer for sale a live badger, have possession or control of a live badger.
• Marking a badger or attaching any ring, tag, or other marking device to a badger.

How may badgers affect you?

If badgers are found to be on site or adjacent to the site, works may be affected. This because it is illegal to undertake certain actions near to a sett, which may cause damage or disturbance to the sett. These actions are as follows:

• using very heavy machinery within 30 metres
• using lighter machinery within 20 metres
• any light work, such as hand digging/ scrub clearance within 10 metres

In order for the works to proceed legally, a licence from Natural England may be required. Licence applications are made by an ecologist and must be accompanied by a detailed method statement setting out the details of the activity to be carried out under the licence.

.Please contact us if you require any further adivice or information.