Tenants' misery over homes invaded by bats

Aug 7 2009 by Marc McLean, Lennox Herald (main ed)

A block of flats in Cameron Drive, Alexandria, is home to almost 500 bats.

Top floor residents are in a right flap because the creatures have managed to fly into their homes.

The bats have been breeding in the roofspace for four years – and council officials were stunned at their most recent bat count.

Lily Kennedy, who lives on the first floor, said: “We have a maternity unit of bats up there.

“This is the fourth infestation we’ve had. They are here from May to nest and multiply and it could go on until the beginning of September.

“The block is in a state of disrepair and they are managing to fly in, which means there are holes at the top of the building.

“We’ve written a letter to Councillor Craig McLaughlin about the problem, which has been signed by most of the residents.”

Councillor McLaughlin, council officials and representatives from The Bat Society and Scottish Natural Heritage all met in a resident’s house recently to discuss the problem.

Councillor McLaughlin said: “It’s illegal to kill bats and there is a £5000 fine for each one that is killed or harmed. That’s why, as a council, we have got to be extremely cautious in handling this – otherwise we could face a bill of over £2m.

“At the meeting the council got advice about what we could and couldn’t do, and the residents got advice about preventing the bats getting into their properties.”

He added: “It has been known for bats to get into some of the houses because they are prone to crawling through the internal pipe chase which runs down the middle of the building and gives access to any of the houses.

“The top floor has been mainly affected but others are worried about opening their windows for fear of a bat flying in.

“In fact, just as we were walking into the building for the meeting with the residents last week at about 6.30pm there was a bat hanging on the front wall.

“The bats themselves are not dangerous. It’s not a very nice thing to have around, but as a council we are taking this seriously.”

Lisa Hundt, biodiversity officer for the Bat Conservation Trust, said: “If it came to a point where the residents were extremely distressed, then the council must apply for a special licence before taking any action and, because this roost is so big, would have to provide another roost to preserve the local bat population.

“It’s an offence to damage or disturb a bat roost. It’s also a criminal offence to kill a bat and the law has been tightened so it can’t be argued that they were killed by accident.”

There are 17 species of bat in the UK, all protected by law because their numbers have decreased dramatically.

A council spokeswoman said: “We are aware of all necessary laws on bats and have at all times been guided by Scottish Natural Heritage and The Bat Conservation Trust whom we have consulted fully.

“An agreement was reached to apply for a licence to seal up the access point where the bats are entering the building, but these works can only be carried out in September or October once all bats have left the roost

“The necessary paperwork has been completed and sent to Edinburgh along with a report from Scottish Natural Heritage and a letter signed by all residents in relation to this issue.

“Once the necessary licence has been issued and the bats have left we will erect a scaffolding around the block and seal off all access areas that bats were entering. However we will require agreement from the three owner occupiers in the building that they will meet all necessary costs for the work to proceed.”