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PROTECTED species: The European otter, which may have been sighted in the Glossop area.
PROTECTED species: The European otter, which may have been sighted in the Glossop area.

Otter sighting ‘kills bypass’

Tom Rowley
28/12/2005

EXCLUSIVE

POSSIBLE sightings of an otter could stop the Mottram bypass in its tracks, according to an environmental campaigner.

A naturalist friend of Advertiser wildlife columnist Sean Wood told him he had spotted "something the size of a small dog" while walking dogs one morning by the river Etherow.

Sean said: "He said he could hardly see as it was still pitch black, but just as he was about to call them off, something the size of small dog ran across his feet before shuffling into the grass and diving into the water. He said the silhouette was undoubtedly that of a good-sized adult otter.

"I knew otters were spreading north, especially since improvements to Derbyshire rivers and streams, and a young one was found dead on the road south of Buxton; but if these reports are correct it is fantastic news."

Sean and other campaigners will now carry out a survey to discover if there are European otters or great-crested newts, badgers and roe deer in the area, to persuade the Highways Agency to adopt a weight restriction on the A628 and ditch plans for the Glossop spur and the bypass.

The otter is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The spur road was approved by High Peak Council planners last week and will probably be subject to a public inquiry - along with the linked Mottram Bypass - widely expected next year.

Sean added: "Contractors for the spur have already recorded 'otter signs' in their environmental impact report, and I have to confess that I was sceptical, assuming they were those of the mink, which is a common mistake."

A Highways Agency spokesman said provision is made for otters on road schemes around the country, with rivers sometimes diverted under roads.

"We are widening the A500 in Stoke and building special otter lifts so they can cross the culvert to get between two water courses. During the planning stage we undertake extensive investigations on the environmental side to protect species and fauna," he said.


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Most recent 2 of 3 user comments

   whilst walking around the etherow where the new industrial park is being built i have seen numerous roe deer prints in the soft mud as well as actually seen 3 roe deer in the former sowerbuts's garden. my grandad has also seen roe deer in the garden as well

David Wilde
david wilde, hadfield
30/12/2005 at 15:56
   Sorry but we need the bypass and a weight restriction on theA628 would not help, as the problem is not only the HGV traffic across woodhead as the larger amount of RTCs on woodhead are involving cars and not trucks, but one of the problems is the amount of new housing that as been built in and around Glossop with most houses now having two or more cars and the road system is not able to cope. The sighting of Otters should not stop the bypass as provisions can be made as pointed out in the advertiser (29/12/2005) the quicker the bypass is built the better life in this area will be in short lets get on with it.
m, hadfield
30/12/2005 at 09:17
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