Over 3,000 frogs, toads and newts saved in annual Bath road patrol
Charlcombe volunteers mark strong migration season, helping amphibians reach breeding grounds
More than 3,000 toads, frogs and newts have been helped to cross a road to reach their breeding lake.
The Charlcombe Toad Rescue Group helped thousands of amphibians across a half-mile stretch of Charlcombe Lane, near Bath, during this year’s migration season.
Collectively more than 50 volunteers spent more than 600 hours in hi-vis 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 volunteers’ hands affecting them, and taken safely in buckets to drop-off points.
The 2026 patrol saw the third highest number of amphibians recorded since the road closure started in 2003.
This year was the best for toads (1,547) since 2012, the second best for palmate newts (1,015) and the fourth best for frogs (1,064) since the patrols began.
In total the toad patrol has helped more than 55,000 amphibians cross Charlcombe Lane in 23 years.
The annual closure has taken place each spring with the agreement of Bath and North East Somerset Council.
It is only one of four road closures in the UK, and it has played a vital role in keeping the local population of amphibians stable during the last 20 years.
Before the closure of Charlcombe Lane,Amphini the casualty rate was 62% while in 2026 it was 6%.
Volunteer Jonathan Lidster said: “The annual toad migration is one of the highlights of the year, both for the toads and the Charlcombe Toad Patrol volunteers.
“They probably don’t appreciate it, but for me it’s hugely rewarding to help the toads, frogs and newts on their way to the lake each year and just walking up and down the dark lane with a bucket and torch in the company of my fellow patrollers is a pleasure.
“An added bonus are the owls and the bats along with other hidden rustling nature. We never want it to end.”
Helen Hobbs, the patrol manager, said: “This feels like a significant year for the Charlcombe population with more than 3,000 amphibians helped by volunteers for three years in a row.
“Against a background of many patrols seeing declining numbers of amphibians, having a relatively stable population really matters.
“With a changing climate it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict the peak times for amphibian movements, that is why closing the road for seven weeks makes such a difference.
“In the first 10 years of the patrol, seven of the busiest days were in March, and in the last 10 years, seven of the busiest days have been in February.
“Two out of the last three years have seen a larger movement of amphibians before the road closes due to the wet and mild weather.
“This led to much higher casualty rates at the start of the patrol, but thanks to the hard work of our volunteers we managed to keep the overall casualty rate down to 6%.”
All the information collected by patrollers is collated by Froglife and last year’s data showed that 199,562 amphibians were given a helping hand across A roads or quiet country lanes.
In the last 50 years, thousands of volunteers have helped more than two million toads cross roads in the UK.
Sheila Gundry, from Froglife, added: “With three strong years in a row for the Charlcombe Toad Patrol this is bucking the national trend.
“Froglife’s data from many toad patrols around the UK shows that toad populations are declining and are very depleted in many areas of the country.”