Saving the world... one toad at a time

It's been estimated that 20 tons of toads meet their end under the wheels of British traffic every year.

This month, Froglife, the charity dedicated to reptile and amphibian conservation, is launching a Tuppence a Toad campaign to raise money for patrol equipment - torches and high-visibility jackets and highlight the plight of these slow-moving creatures.

In so doing, the charity hopes to recruit more volunteer toad patrollers, a role which involves carrying toads in buckets across roads at night to nearby breeding ponds. So far this year up to 65,000 toads have been thus airlifted to safety...

"Before we set up a watch in my village of Little Melton, about 90 per cent of toads were being squashed to death at our crossings. Now it's down to about 10 per cent," he says...

...people can help the situation by leaving loose piles of twigs, compost or rubble in untended corners of their gardens, under which toads can shelter...

We have a variety of toads in our garden and are delighted to encounter them.