Toads risk their lives crossing a Somerset road to mate. This year, a patrol rescued thousands

The Guardian

11-04-2025

Why did the toad cross the road? To get to the other side, of course. But also, to reproduce.
Nearly 4,000 toads, frogs and newts have been rescued as they tried to cross one of only five roads closed for the migration season in the UK each year to reach a breeding lake on the other side.
The patrol of Charlcombe Lane, near Bath, has recorded more than 50,000 toads, frogs and newts in the last 22 years on a half-mile stretch.
This year saw the second highest number of amphibians recorded since the annual road closure started in 2003, and had a significant first, with a great crested newt seen for the first time in the patrol's history.
It is a precarious time for British wildlife as leaders of nature organisations warn that the government's new planning bill 'throws environmental protection to the wind'. The bill includes measures such as removing guidance on conducting bat surveys before building a structure, for example. In December, the housing secretary, Angela Rayner, warned that newts should not be more protected than people who need homes.
Two of the three best years for the Charlcombe Lane patrol were this year and 2024, with the busiest ever year for the patrol back in 2010.
This year was the best for frogs and palmate newts, with 1,424 and 1,194 recorded respectively since the patrol began. With 1,376 toads helped across the road, 2025 was the best year for toads since 2010.
Charlcombe Lane is closed annually for six weeks in February and March as volunteers patrol every night from dusk to help toads, frogs and newts on their journey to their breeding lake. This toad patrol is one of more than 200 across the country that take part in the national Toads on Roads project run by the amphibian and reptile conservation charity, Froglife.
Across the six weeks, more than 50 volunteers on the Charlcombe Toad Rescue group spent more than 648 hours in high visibility jackets, armed with torches, buckets and special gloves, walking slowly up and down the road.
Toads, frogs and newts are carefully picked up and taken safely in buckets to five drop off points to help them on their journey towards the lake.
Chris Melbourne, who manages the collection of data for Charlcombe Toad Rescue, said: 'This has been a gamechanger for our local amphibian population, with the casualty rate dropping from 62% before the patrol started to 3% this year, bucking national trends and giving the frogs, toads and newts a fighting chance of flourishing.
'Throughout the 2025 season there were long stretches of cold and dry weather. This was followed by wet and warm conditions that were ideal for amphibians to be on the move. In one night on 23 February volunteers helped 1,119 toads, frogs and newts cross the road.'
Back in 2016, Froglife used data collected by toad patrols to explore what had been happening to the population of common toads across the UK. The research demonstrated that the populations had declined on average across the UK by 68% in just 30 years.
The biggest challenges facing amphibians include habitat fragmentation due to roads, changes in farming practices and development, and the loss of habitats, such as ponds and the impact of pollution. The climate crisis is also adversely affecting amphibians, with milder winters leading to them waking up from their hibernation more frequently.