Views sought on wild beavers returning to county

Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK in the 16th Century

People are being asked for their views on the reintroduction of wild beavers in Gloucestershire as a population has been spotted close to the county's borders.

Currently, there are three enclosed beaver colonies in Gloucestershire and no beavers living in the wild.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) said there is a "real possibility" wild beavers could establish in the area as they have been seen close by, including on the River Avon.

Dee Durham, beaver feasibility co-ordinator at GWT said: "Some people may have valid concerns about the possible impacts of beavers on their land."

Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK in the 16th Century.

Efforts have been made to reintroduce them to the wild in areas including Somerset, Yorkshire and Cumbria, while they have also been living wild in areas around the River Tay in Scotland for some years since escaping or being illegally released some years ago.

GWT has been running a joint study with Forestry England to work out the pros and cons of wild beavers in Gloucestershire

Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Ms Durham said: "There are beavers almost on our borders, there is a population on the River Avon so there is every chance that they could naturally disperse into Gloucestershire.

"It is a really good reason to get on top of everything and see how we can manage this process proactively so that we can maximise the benefits beavers could bring and minimise the risks."

Beavers were introduced to an enclosure in the Forest of Dean to help reduce flooding for people living in Lydbrook.

For the last year, GWT has been running a joint study with Forestry England to work out the pros and cons of having wild beavers in Gloucestershire.

"Beavers are incredible animals capable of creating these enormously diverse habitats by engineering the environment around them," Ms Durham said.

She added that while the animal is capable of helping hundreds of species by creating wetlands, it is "only natural" that some people may have reservations about beavers coming back.

"Like other rodents beavers are burrowers and sometimes they burrow in the wrong place and might need to be managed," she said.

"And likewise if a dam is built somewhere where you don't necessarily want more water to be stored, you might need to look at ways to manage that dam to control the water.

"There are lots of tried and tested management techniques, developed in countries like America and Germany."

The survey is running until 6 January to understand people's views on the possibility of beavers entering Gloucestershire.