Shelf will help otters safely cross road

A shelf is to be installed under a bridge in West Sussex to help otters safely cross a main road.

The local authority said there were previously no otters in the county, with road casualties thought to be one of the main issues hampering their return.

Rather than swimming under bridges or through culverts, otters often travelled on foot across roads to reach breeding grounds, West Sussex County Council said.

The ‘mammal shelf’ is to be built in a culvert under the A272 this autumn, near to one of the county’s only breeding otter populations.

The specially-designed shelf will allow otters to run safely under the road on a ledge above the water.

Councillor Deborah Urquhart, the council’s cabinet member for environment and climate change, said the resurgence of otters was a huge conservation achievement after populations declined dramatically between the 1950s and 1970s.

“Cleaner rivers and healthier habitats have seen otter populations bounce back in recent years, however, one of the main dangers facing otters today are busy roads,” she said.

“Reducing the number of otter road casualties will ensure the successful return of this native mammal to West Sussex waterways.”

The scheme is in collaboration with the National Trust and Arun & Rother Rivers Trust.

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