Burrowing badgers cause £100,000 damage to road

Badgers tunnelling nether a roadworthy successful Lincolnshire person caused £100,000 worthy of damage, a assembly has said.

The mammals had dug a sett nether the A52 astatine Seaholme Road, successful the mediate of Mablethorpe, according to Lincolnshire County Council.

Emergency repairs to the roadworthy would person to beryllium carried retired to halt it falling apart, a spokesperson for the authorization said.

However, the assembly had had to hold for a licence from Natural England earlier the enactment could beryllium carried retired due to the fact that badgers were a protected species, they added.

The authorization had wanted to transportation retired the repairs earlier, but present the licence had been granted, it was moving retired of clip to bash the exigency work, according to the spokesperson.

All enactment connected badger setts indispensable beryllium completed betwixt July and the extremity of November truthful the repairs did not interfere with the badgers' mating season, they explained.

Councillor Richard Davies said: “In total, these works are going to outgo america an further £100,000 to complete.”

The Mablethorpe country already has roadworthy closures connected the A1104 for resurfacing work, and Davies said the authorization was alert of postulation travel issues successful the town.

The A1104 strategy could not beryllium paused arsenic it was astatine a captious point, helium said.

“Our hands are tied astir scheduling these conflicting works," Davies explained.

"We person nary enactment but to get this further programme up and moving consecutive away.

"If determination was immoderate different enactment disposable to us, we’d instrumentality it."

Davies added that it was "extremely frustrating we person not been fixed this licence until now".

A information of the licence issued by Natural England requires the works beryllium carried retired nether a roadworthy closure, to guarantee the information of the badgers.

The assembly spokesperson said the enactment would beryllium carried retired betwixt 09:00 GMT and 16:00 GMT from Saturday 8 November and Wednesday 20 November.

A three-way postulation airy strategy would run extracurricular those hours truthful the roadworthy could beryllium used.

Natural England has been approached for a comment.

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