Bats in Buildings

There are 17 species of bats in the UK. Bats may roost on the inside or the outside of buildings. All species of bats in England are protected by law.

Before you undertake maintenance work, you should know how to check for bats in buildings and what to do to protect them.

About Bats in the UK

Bats are small flying mammals. The types of bat found in the UK only eat insects. They may use buildings at any time, but are most likely to roost in buildings between May and August, when mother bats gather in big maternity roosts to raise their babies. These bats move away when the baby bats can fly, and have usually left by September.

Individual bats, and small groups of bats may roost in a variety of places at any time of year.

What the Law Says

It is illegal to:

• Kill, injure or disturb bats

• Obstruct their access to bat roosts
• Damage or disturb bat roosts.

Outside, bats may roost

• Under weatherboarding or hanging tiles
• Above soffits and behind fascia boards and barge boards
• Between window frames and wall brickwork
• In gaps behind cladding tiles or wood
• Between underfelt and boards or tiles
• Inside cavity walls

Inside they may roost

• In the roof along the ridge beam
• Around the gable end of the roof
• In the roof around the chimney

Looking for Evidence of Bats

Bats do not make nests or cause structural damage.
The most obvious sign of their presence is droppings. Bat droppings consist of insect remains and crumble easily to a powder. Mouse or rat droppings a smooth and plastic and quickly become hard.

Bat droppings do not present any known health hazards.

If you are planning works

If you want to carry out building work or pest control in a building, and you have found evidence of a bat roost, seek advice from the appropriate Statutory Nature Conservation Organisation before you start.

To comply with the law, if you have started work and you find bats or a bat roost, you must stop work and contact the Statutory Nature Conservation Organisation.

Statutory Nature Conservation Organisations:

• Natural England -- www.naturalengland.org.uk
• Countryside Council for Wales - www.ccw.gov.uk
• Scottish National Heritage - www.snh.gov.uk
• Environment and Heritage Service Northern Ireland - www.ehsni.gov.uk

Links:

For more information about bats in Britain, contact the national organisation that works for the conservation of bats and their habitats in the UK:
The Bat Conservation Trust
www.bats.org.uk

A "bat brick" is an especially designed brick made with a small hole to enable bats to gain access to the roof space.