Badgers are keeping a south Warwickshire road closed
BADGERS, it seems, hold a lot of sway in south Warwickshire – to such an extent that they can get a road closed for the best part of a year.
The latest commotion involving these creatures is taking place in the village of Little Kineton where a stretch of the Tysoe Road was blocked off last autumn and won’t be reopening until July because of the risk of disturbing the badgers’ and their breeding habits.
Last September temporary traffic lights were installed after a hole caused by a badger sett underneath the highway was discovered. Eventually the traffic lights were removed and all of the road blocked off.
And there’s a further bizarre twist that could have come straight from a slapstick comedy. When the road repair men turned up in December to fill in the hole caused by the badgers their lorry damaged the other side of the carriageway.
The lorry damage kept the road closed when it should have been re-opened and repair work was then vetoed because of the danger it would pose to the badgers and their procreational activities.
As a result, angry villagers have to do a three-mile detour to reach a destination only 500 yards away.
It’s even posed the inevitable question: “Who comes first – the people who live here and pay their council tax, or the badgers?”
One resident who’s certainly had enough is 80-year-old Terry Lister and his wife Margaret who live just outside Little Kineton. They’ve made innumerable inquiries try to find out what’s going on, only to discover one unassailable fact. “Nobody knows who’s responsible for anything,” said Terry.
This week Terry told the Herald that every three or four years the badger sett underneath the road caused the highway to collapse, prompting workmen acting for Warwickshire County Council to turn up and fill in the hole with asphalt.
“The hole they’ve repaired is on one side of the road,” said Terry. “But their truck caused the other side of the road to collapse.”
As a result the road has been completely blocked off and residents have been told it will have to stay like this until July, when it will be safe to carry out the remedial work without endangering the badgers.
Terry – who founded the Listers motor sales outlet in Stratford - is also worried about the impact of the closed road on the emergency services. “If I need an ambulance from Warwick or a fire engine from Wellesbourne they’ll have to drive much further to get to me,” he said.
He added: “I hate causing trouble. But I feel that we don’t care about people, only about badgers. In life there’s always a compromise, but with this there’s no compromise.”
In response to Terry’s complaints, a spokesperson for Warwickshire County Council told the Herald: “Badgers are protected by law, meaning that it is an offence to damage a badger sett.
“Warwickshire County Council attempted to repair the road that had been seriously undermined by badgers last year under a ‘low impact class licence’ held by a national badger expert. Unfortunately, whilst attempting the repair it was found that there were more tunnels than expected, meaning a different licence is now required.
“These licences only allow works to badger setts between July and November. The council will continue to monitor badger activity and will look to repair and open the road as soon as legally possible.
“We understand the frustration felt by local residents, and are doing all we can to remedy the situation as quickly as the law allows us to.”
It’s worth mentioning that while the road is officially blocked off, some motorists are ignoring the situation, removing the barriers and driving through anyway. But would the emergency services do the same?