Bat-friendly street lights for Worcestershire crossing

Similar lighting schemes are already in place in the Netherlands, Worcestershire County Council said

Bat-friendly street lights are to be installed on a crossing in Worcestershire.

There will be about 60m of the glowing red lights on the A4440, near to Warndon Wood, from September.

Worcestershire County Council said the area was a "corridor" for bats and it wanted to support the local wildlife.

It believes they are the first bat-friendly street lights in the UK and that they would also assist pedestrians walking in the area.

Research has shown some species of bats avoid areas lit by white lights, which could lead them to use longer and less safe routes.

Some bats avoid flying in areas illuminated by white lights, research has found

The council said similar lighting schemes in the Netherlands had proved successful, helping to preserve bat species and other nocturnal wildlife, and councillor Ken Pollock said the crossing was a "sensible" opportunity to support bats.

"The adapted lighting may look a little different at first, but we'd like to assure those using the area at night that the colour of the lights has been through stringent testing and adheres to all safety checks," he said.

Visibility for drivers and pedestrians is not affected by the red light and the scheme is fully compliant with the required standards, the council added.