Newark and Sherwood District Council removes bat boxes from saved trees beside Newark Library over 'health and safety risk'

The district council has removed bat boxes in the trees saved beside Newark Library over what it said was a health and safety risk.

Members of Protect Newark's Green Spaces contacted the Advertiser this morning after council workers were seen removing the bat boxes from the trees.

The group claimed the council was committing an environmental crime in doing so and reported the authority to the police.

However, Newark and Sherwood District Council has now said there was no evidence of bats living in the boxes. It added some of the boxes had been installed incorrectly and, if they had fallen, could have posed a health and safety risk.

A Newark and Sherwood District Council spokesman said: “The bat boxes that were removed had no evidence of bats living in them.

"Some of the bat boxes were unsuitable for bats and some had been incorrectly installed which, if they had fallen, could have posed a potential health and safety risk.”

Protect Newark's Green Spaces said it had received no response to its correspondence with the council in relation to the matter.

The trees were saved last month at the 11th hour when the landowner offered the council a new deal, to buy back the land for £450,000 and not extend London Road carpark, significant cheaper than a lease agreement to create the carpark extension — keeping the land an open space.

The last-minute offer followed a fierce campaign by Protect Newark's Green Spaces, during which several protesters refused to leave the site despite police and council orders to leave and spent the night there.