East and south Devon residents urged to become 'bat detectives' as part of survey

The Devon Bat Survey has been staged annually since 2016

East and south Devon residents are being asked to become "bat detectives" as part of an annual survey.

The Devon Bat Survey hopes to learn more about bats by asking locals to install bat detectors in their gardens.

Devon Wildlife Trust and Devon Biodiversity Records Centre run the survey, which has been running since 2016.

Lindsay Mahon, from the trust, said it was a "great opportunity" to contribute to a scientific project.

'Vital information'

People living in the areas of Exeter, Cranbrook, Coly Valley, Torbay and Malborough come forward to take part to put the small electronic device on their properties.

Ms Mahon said: "This is a great opportunity to contribute to a scientific project and discover which types of bats live near you."

The survey, which runs from mid-May to 30 September, is free to take part in and people can sign up via Devon Wildlife Trust's website.

Elinor Parry, from Devon Biodiversity Records Centre, analyses the data gathered by the Devon Bat Survey.

She said: "This annual survey provides us with vital information to help protect bats while also helping us understand more about the health of Devon's environment."