Badger mitigation

The Stanway badgers

            Whilst badgers may be considered attractive animals, their burrowing habits can be a considerable nuisance to the railway. Just north of Stanway viaduct, a large group of setts has been created over the years in the side of this high embankment on the Up side. Thanks to this activity, the soil has slipped and significantly altered the profile of the embankment. Judging by the amount of soil brought out by the badgers, an extensive excavation has been created extending an unknown distance into the embankment. This gives rise to serious concern about the stability of the embankment and hence the safety of the railway. GWSR has had considerable problems with embankment slips over many years thanks in part to the way they were constructed and having the edge of an embankment undermined requires investigation.

            Badgers enjoy considerable legal protection with any interference being potentially a criminal offence, so it was vital that everything was done in the correct way. As a first step, Mike Peers, GWSR’s Lineside Manager, engaged a firm of ecologists to confirm that it was a badgers’ sett and advise the next step. Automatic cameras were placed around the sett and these confirmed that the sett was active. The ecologist then produced a plan and applied to Natural England for a licence to move the badgers. There are restrictions on what can be done and the time of year that work can be undertaken. Having been granted the licence, work was started by covering the whole area in a steel mesh pinned firmly into the ground with trap doors over the entrance holes. These trap doors only allow badgers to leave the sett and not to allow them back in again.

The disturbed shape of the embankment, the steel mesh and the trap doors.

 

A trap door tied to the steel mesh

The cameras were set up again and showed that after a period, there was no more badger activity. This allowed the next stage to start, the excavation of the setts. Badgers have a strong sense of smell and can detect setts underground so it is essential to dig each sett out and back fill the hole. This can only be done by an experienced contractor under the supervision of an ecologist. An excavator was brought to site allowing work to start in mid-November. At each location in turn, the mesh was rolled back and the excavator started digging. At intervals, the supervisor and ecologist investigated the holes exposed with a spade to 
check. 

Careful excavation under the eyes of the ecologist in the white helmet

 

Using the spade to check the excavation

Once a particular group of tunnels were excavated, then the soil was replaced and compacted before the mesh was replaced. It was essential to replace the mesh at the end of each day to prevent the badgers starting digging again.

Excavator filling the hole and compacting the soil

Replacing the mesh and pinning it down

To our relief, none of the setts extended very far into the embankment and progress was quicker than expected helped by a relatively dry spell making the work easier. The excavations showed that whilst badgers were responsible part of the ragged profile of the embankment, this was also the site of an historic landslip. Perhaps the disturbed ground of the slip provided ideal conditions for the badgers. The steel mesh will be left on the side of the embankment to deter their return.

 

Completed works with stakes to act as markers for the clearance team in future.