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Badger sett closures

11th November 2011

In order to assist the progress of development works for two of our clients we have recently removed badgers from their sites. Badgers and their setts are protected and their presence on site can delay works until they are removed.  

For a house builder on a site in Hertfordshire, using chainsaws and strimmers we cleared the area of a hazel hedgerow to allow access to the badger sett.  Once the sett was free from vegetation we fitted one-way badger gates to the sett entrances around which we staked strong wire mesh to prevent badgers burrowing back in.

On a site on the Thames Gateway in Essex which is being developed into Europe’s largest logistics park, we firstly thoroughly CAT scanned the area to check that excavation works wouldn’t cause damage to underground services. Following this we covered the whole sett with mesh which was staked securely to the ground, including over concrete surfaces, and installed badger gates to the sett entrances.

When the badgers have left both setts, we will return to remove the mesh and gates, and under supervision by an ecologist, we will gently excavate the soil to remove the setts completely, so that our clients’ work can resume.