Discover ways to help adders thrive

The adder is the UK's only native venomous snake

A wildlife expert is to offer advice on how to protect the UK's only native venomous snake.

Kevin James, from Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, will discuss the habitat requirements needed for adders to thrive during a talk on 15 January at Gainsborough Methodist Church.

He said: "There are only three or four sites in Lincolnshire, around Woodhall Spa, where adders can be found. When they emerge from hibernation in the spring, it's vital they are left alone."

A 2019 study found that adders – protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 – could disappear from the British countryside altogether by 2032.

Mr James, warden for mid-Lincolnshire, "will look at changes to the adder population across the UK" and ways to help these "fascinating reptiles", the trust said.

According to the trust, adders hibernate from October, emerging in the first warm days of March, which is the best time to find them basking on a log or under a warm rock.

The last recorded death from an adder bite in the UK was in 1975.

Adders can be found in England, Scotland and Wales, but not in Northern Ireland. They are distributed across much of Europe and Asia and even within the Arctic Circle.

According to the NHS, only three types of snake are found in the wild in the UK, of which the adder is one. The other two are the grass snake and the smooth snake, both of which are not venomous.

The talk starts at 19:30 GMT, with people asked to make a minimum donation of £2.50 to the trust.

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