Monyash: Village toad patrol celebrates 10 years

BBC Toad crossing a road during busy times

Residents of a Derbyshire village are celebrating 10 years of protecting toads from traffic during their annual migration.

Each spring, the Toad Patrol tries to prevent the creatures from being hit by vehicles in Monyash.

The team of about 40 volunteers believes it has saved about 20,000 toads from being killed since 2013.

The amphibians migrate through the village to their mating area in a nearby pond.

Normally moving at dusk, the common toads cross from fields where they have spent the winter.

The roads in Monyash are official migratory crossings

Migratory toad crossing signs — The roads in Monyash are official migratory crossings

A year after the patrol was set up, the village was registered with charity Froglife.

The roads then became official migratory crossings, complete with warning signs to alert motorists and pedestrians.

Every day during the breading season, volunteers equipped with buckets transport dozens of toads to the pond.

The conservationists believe that without their help many of the animals would be run over.

Villager Simon Corble, who set up the group, said the mission for toad safety was supported by all ages.

'Stopping traffic'

"It was really distressing for people, driving along or walking through the village, to see corpses lying everywhere," he said.

"We've got roads going in all directions that the toads have got to cross. That's why we need about a dozen people at a time to cover the entire village.

"Often we are going into the traffic and sometimes stopping the traffic to rescue the toads.

"We've got a big body of people behind the mission now. There's young ones coming through as well that will take over.

"It's very satisfying indeed that we've saved that many creatures."

Mr Corble said the patrol helped increase awareness of wildlife in the village and "how precious it is", adding he hoped it would continue for many more years.