Call for fences along Derbyshire badger 'death trap' road

The dual carriageway is bounded by woods on both sides.

A main road in north Derbyshire has become "a death trap" for badgers, campaigners say.

The A61 Unstone-Dronfield Bypass, between Chesterfield and Sheffield, is a hot spot for roadkill, says Mid Derbyshire Badger Group.

Its volunteers log reports of dead badgers on roads across the county.

They say it is not uncommon to find up to seven carcasses in one day on a five-mile stretch that passes through woodland where the animals have setts.

Calls are being made to Derbyshire County Council to beef up fencing along the route to help steer the animals away from the 70mph dual carriageway.

They also want badger signs installed to make drivers aware of the risks of animal encounters along the road.

The council says while it supports the principle of fencing upgrades, its budgets would not stretch to the costs currently.

'Balance of nature'

A spokesman for the Mid Derbyshire Badger Group, which has launched a petition, said: "We record the location of every badger lost to our roads that we are aware of, and due to this mapping we have been able to identify various hotspots of road deaths in our area.

"One of these hotspots is the A61 Bypass between Chesterfield and Sheffield. It isn't unusual to see up to seven slaughtered badgers along this stretch of road along just a five-mile stretch.

"This road, which slices through the woods where these creatures live, has become a death trap for them.

"Badgers are an integral part of our ecosystem. Their loss is not just tragic; it also disrupts the balance of nature.

"But half of our badger population has been lost in the last decade due to culling and road accidents."

A spokesman for Derbyshire County Council told the BBC: "We'd like to thank Mid Derbyshire Badger Group for highlighting this important issue. We're very supportive of their general campaign to protect wildlife on Derbyshire's roads.

The stretch is regularly crossed by badgers

"They have contacted us specifically, asking us to consider fencing along the A61. However, this would be a huge job and would cost a lot of money, needing resources we just don't have in our budgets for the upcoming year.

"We have a duty to the people of Derbyshire to make sure we're using what money we do have to the best of our ability, and this year that means doing everything we can to repair our roads after one of the wettest winters on record.

"Although there isn't a specific approved badger warning sign, we do have wildlife warning signs on the road to warn motorists of all wildlife that could be in the area, including badgers."