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More volunteers sought to help toads cross road

Getty Images A common toad with a golden gnarled back has one leg on a rock and is staring into the camera Getty Images
Numbers of the common toad are declining in the UK, often because they are killed as they travel back to breeding ponds

A group which has helped save hundreds of toads is looking for more people to join its patrols.

The Seahouses Toads on Roads group looks after amphibians making their way to their springtime breeding grounds in a pond next to the B1340 road, north of the Northumberland town.

Nightly patrols began in 2024 and members estimate they have prevented at least 800 of the toads from being killed by vehicles.

Founder Claire Watson-Armstrong said: "It was amazing to see how many people embraced 'toad mania' last year, whether by patrolling, or by driving carefully where they cross."

Froglife A group of eight people, two kneeling, are gathered by a wooden fence with a pond to the left and a road to the right. They are wearing hi-vis vests. In the distance Bamburgh Castle can be seen on the horizon.Froglife
In 2024 the group moved approximately 800 toads to safety

The group is part of a national campaign by the charity Froglife to help halt the decline of the common toad.

Research suggests their numbers have declined by 68% in the last 30 years, with road mortality one of the key causes.

Mrs Watson-Armstrong said lots of people had "no idea" about the toads and thought they were "rock or mud debris".

"They are just doing a journey they've done for centuries, long before roads and traffic existed," she said.

Froglife A common toad is shown close up in the hand of someone wearing a grey glove.Froglife
The area the group patrols has been officially recognised by a national campaign

Temporary "Toad Crossing" signs are in place and volunteers patrol in all weathers carrying toads, newts and frogs across the road to safety.

Volunteer Philippa Gill said: "I personally have got so much from it – the elation from picking up and saving toads, fresh air, exercise, fantastic night skies and meeting wonderful people."

Mrs Watson-Armstrong said she was encouraged by the their "incredible success" last year and hopes more people will help prevent "the carnage of hundreds of toads being killed".

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