Case study – Environmental impacts – Wildlife

Bats – Do not disturb

When Tube Lines needed to gain access to a disused tunnel which is home to an important bat roost, careful planning and close liaison with the London Bat Group made sure that the bats were not disturbed.

“We needed to gain access to the tunnel as part of our routine integrity and safety inspection programme,” explains Jon Elder, Tunnels Team Engineer. “We contacted the London Bat Group in the very early planning stages to make sure that we avoided a time when the bats would be roosting. We also had a site meeting to discuss what we needed to do and how our work could potentially affect the bats and their habitat.

“We agreed a series of measures, such as not drilling in areas where the bats may be hiding, or disturbing bat bricks and bat boxes. The bats can roost behind fragile carbon deposits on the walls and we had to take care not to break any of these off. Fortunately, our work was non-invasive, involving only a small amount of drilling and the use of specialist equipment to measure the tunnel walls.’

“Whenever there are any issues with animals roosting, it is essential to act swiftly and manage the situation efficiently. In this case, the London Bat Group seemed pleased that we had approached them so early. They were very happy to work with us to make sure that measures were put into place to protect the bats.

“The best news of all is that the bat population using this tunnel continues to thrive and has increased by 30 per cent in the last two years.”