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Newt Fencing |
Badger Fencing |
Water Vole Fencing |
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What is newt fencing
The Great Crested Newts and its’ habitat are protected by law because the species has declined significantly in recent decades largely due to habitat loss. Newt fences are required to allow for the management of Great Crested Newts.
Newt Fencing is a generic term for a wildlife barrier used to keep newts, other amphibians and reptiles in or out of a specific area. Newt fencing can also be used as part of a system to trap animals within the areas it encloses to enable that area to be cleared of fauna in order that site operations can be carried out.
Other names used commonly are amphibian fencing TAF (temporary amphibian fencing), drift fencing and reptile fencing. Legacy Habitat Management are the leading UK installer of Newt Fences.
While there are occasional variations in the specifications for these forms of newt fence, they all follow a similar form; the base of the newt fence being buried in a shallow trench, often with a right angle return underground (underlap) and a second section extending higher above the ground often with a right angle return on the top edge (overlap) Figure 1.
Since trapping or exclusion of newts involves the approval of the method by English Nature/Natural England, and the issuing of a licence by DEFRA, the basic fence design tends to follow that provided in the English Nature Great Crested Newt Mitigation Guidelines.
These guidelines suggest the use of polythene sheet supported by wooden stakes at regular intervals as the preferred system for newt fence construction. This is still the most commonly used and most economical form of newt barrier fence, but it is not suited to all conditions and situations. Polythene sheeting is vulnerable to ultraviolet light and while it can be stabilised, it will only have a maximum lifespan of approx 2 years. It is also very vulnerable to physical damage, accidental or malicious. Consequently, where a more permanent or durable solution is required, other materials such as rigid plastic board or steel sheet are employed.
www.wildlifefencing.co.uk materials have been developed over a number of years in order to meet market and statutory requirements, and as such we are able to offer a wide variety of products that meet the customers needs. If you do not see the product that you require, please contact us and we will do our best to meet your requirements. We have also put together the full range of materials required to complete the task from timber stakes through to hard to find items such as pitfall traps and plastic washers.
While it is not difficult to install newt fences, it is also easy to get it wrong. By following these basic guidelines, you should be able to produce good results from the first. These guidelines apply to installation of polythene sheet newt fence.
- Excavate a trench to the required depth (usually 200mm). It is important to use a machine that will cause minimum disturbance to the site and is able follow the line required. The spoil should be placed along the outside line of the trench.
- Excavate buckets holes at the required spacing, spoil should remain on the inside line of the trench.
- Drive in timber posts so that they are firm in the ground. Spacings are usually at 1500mm centres. The line of the posts should be on the inside line of the trench.
- Roll out the polythene sheet along the outside line of the trench. Take up as much slack as possible.
- Attach the polythene sheet to the posts using nails, screws or staples through a nylon washer. The washer spreads the load over a wider area and prevents the polythene being easily torn off the stakes.
- Allow for a minimum 100mm underlap of polythene in the base of the trench. Along the top line, allow 150-200mm of polythene to create a top roll. This has the dual effect of adding a lot of strength to the top fixing point, and creating an overlap which cannot be scaled by newts. The overall height of the newt fence should be 500mm above ground level.
- A minimum of three fixings per post with washers should be allowed for. The polythene should be free of major creases. Particular care should be taken at changes of slope.
- Place pitfall traps in their holes with their lids on, and pack partially with soil to ensure good contact against the polythene sheet. Attach the pitfall trap to a wooden stake firmly driven in down the outside where vandalism or flooding might lift the trap out of the ground.
- Backfill trench and pitfall traps. Care should be taken where soils are heavy that large clumps of soil do not damage the sheet, pull the sheet off the post or distort the pitfall traps. The fill material should be carefully compacted around the fence and traps to ensure that newts do not burrow underneath.
Installing a one-way Newt Barrier
Where required the fence can be installed as a one-way newt barrier to allow amphibians and reptiles to exit a site but not re-enter. (fig X)
- Excavate a trench to the required depth (usually 200mm). It is important to use a machine that will cause minimum disturbance to the site and is able follow the line required. The spoil should be placed along the outside line of the trench
- Lay the polythene in the trench with the outer edge to the outside of the site.
- Backfill the trench and compact carefully.
- Fold the polythene back over to the outside of the site then drive in the stakes at 1500mm centres at 45 degrees.