BUSES are being held up and truckers have changed their route to avoid disturbing frisky toads and newts near a Somerset woodland.

Hundreds of toads and newts are making a perilous journey across a busy road to breed at a pond in the Woodland Trust's Haddon Wood, near Castle Cary.

A team of volunteers are out slowing traffic and aiding the croakers across the road from Alhampton between sunset and 10pm on suitable evenings - toads only migrate if it is wet and above 5degs C.

Woodland Trust volunteer Hilary Harrison said: "Clearly lots of amphibians have taken a liking to the pond.

"They’ve spawned here before and this year the mass migration shows they are coming back to do so again."

Conservationist Dave Boyer has coordinated the toad patrols for FrogLife, assisted by the Reptile and Amphibian Group of Somerset, since a lorry driver expressed concerns at the number of toads being squashed.

He said: “Toads attempt to go back to the pond they were born in, roughly the same time each year.

"They migrate on warm damp evenings mid- February until the end of March. In the following months the adults then gradually disperse into the countryside within a mile or so of the pond to damp vegetation."

Dave Edon, whose South West Coaches is one of several businesses adapting to the amphibians migration, said: “When the Toad Patrol flag up the start of the migration, we alert all our drivers to slow down on this route and keep an eye out for toads.

"If they see them crossing, they’ll halt the bus and wait."

Patrol co-ordinator Angela Piggott said: “Despite our best-efforts toads and newts are sadly still squashed on the road.

“Last year we rescued nearly 700 toads as well as great crested and smooth newts."

She said the number of toads breeding is lower this year due to weather conditions, adding: "We’re hoping it will pick up, that we’ll soon see a cavalry charge and will be there to help them."

Woodland Trust site manager Paul Allen added: “This migration of toads is a success story amongst a climate change and nature emergency.

"This hardy group of volunteers worked tirelessly to create the pond and nature has just taken over.”