Road closure gives thousands of amphibians a safe passage to breeding grounds
Charlcombe Lane near Bath will be closed for six weeks as volunteers help toads, frogs, and newts cross safely
Last updated 12 hours ago
A road will be closed for the next six weeks to allow toads, frogs and newts to cross to their breeding grounds.
The Charlcombe Toad Rescue Group is hoping to help more than 3,000 amphibians reach their ancestral breeding lake in the valley below.
Charlcombe Lane, near Bath, Somerset, will be shut from February 9 until March 29 as volunteers go out on patrol each night at dusk to help common toads, common frogs and newts on their journey.
Collectively they will spend 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 volunteer hands affecting them, and taken safely in buckets to drop-off points.
In 2025, more than 50 volunteers helped 3,995 amphibians across a half-mile stretch of Charlcombe Lane, taking the total number recorded over the last 23 years to more than 50,000.
It was the second-best year for the number of amphibians recorded and for the first time in the patrol's history a great crested newt was seen.
Two of the three best years for the patrol were last year and 2024, with the busiest ever year for the patrol back in 2010.
The annual closure has taken place each spring since 2003 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 the casualty rate was 62% while in 2025 it was 3%.
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.
"It has meant that our population of 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, that is why closing the road for six weeks makes such a difference.
"Last year the peak movement was February 19 to 23, in 2024 it was slightly earlier in mid-February and in 2023 it was mid-late March."
Last year a team of scientists used data collected by toad patrols to explore what has been happening to the population of common toads across the UK.
The research demonstrated that the common toad population has declined by 41% in just 40 years.
The biggest challenges facing amphibians include road traffic, loss of habitat, such as the disappearance of ponds, and the fragmentation of habitats due to the intensification of farming and development.
A changing climate is also adversely affecting amphibians, with milder winters leading to them waking up from hibernation more frequently.
There are more than 200 patrols across the UK helping amphibians during the migration season.