© BCT John Black

On Friday 29th January 2016 Mr George Plant of Hallow, Worcestershire appeared before Worcester Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to one charge of destroying the breeding or resting place of Myotis bats. He was fined £1000, and has to pay a victim surcharge of £100 and £135 costs.

In 2013 Mr Plant applied for listed building consent to re-roof his cottage in Hallow. Planners asked him to provide a bat survey and in May 2014 a consultant ecologist visited the site where he saw evidence of over 20 Myotis bats roosting in the roof. The ecologists report recommended that further survey work needed to be undertaken and that a licence would be needed if the work was to be undertaken when the animals were present. Mr Plant did not ask for any further survey work to be undertaken, re-roofing took place during 2015.

Source: BCT

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