Bats buildings and bridges

Surveyors and engineers would do well to become familiar with the habits of bats because many show a preference to roost in buildings and structures, such as bridges. They are also the subject of protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

I learnt a lot from a recent talk organised by the Gosport District Group of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and presented by Nik Knight of the Hampshire Bat Group. Nik kindly gave me permission to use two of his photographs which illustrate how a bat was discovered by a roofer under the tiles on a dormer window.
According to Nik there are currently 18 species of bat inhabiting the UK and many of these are tiny. They can get through very small gaps in a building's fabric or cracks in the structure. Several species live in trees, especially old, decaying ones. Loss of habitat is just one of many threats to bats, which are declining in number - so please do not cut down any tree  or carry out building work without thinking about bats.

It is also possible to encourage bats to roost on new and existing buildings by installing a bat box, or a bat access panel, of which there is an example at Portsmouth Grammar School. It shows what can be done with a little forethought!
If you do have a mishap and discover or disturb a bat by accident, the Bat Conservation Trust has a help line. My local group has a bat hospital run by caring volunteers for such eventualities.