TWO official toad crossings in the Forest have been earmarked as areas for new signs to alert motorists to slow down.
The main roads at Brierley and the Crossways in Coleford, near Marion’s Pond, have been circled by Gloucestershire County Council as the hotspots for toad patrols.
Volunteers from the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust will be installing the signs soon.
Each year local volunteers help around 5,000 toads cross the county’s roads.
Ellen Winter, community officer at Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, said: “Searching for a mate, many toads have their 12-year lifespan cut brutally short by traffic on roads built across the routes to their breeding ponds. Your local area probably has at least one toad crossing, and we need more patrollers to spare their help for a few hours.”
Cllr Vernon Smith, cabinet member for highways, added: “Toad crossings are one example of the more unusual ways we work with local charities and community groups to keep our county moving.”
Volunteers patrol the pavements and verges to find toads. They record the numbers found then carry them across the road in buckets to release them safely on the other side.
Volunteers are needed to help local ‘toads on roads’ patrols. Residents can put their name forward by emailing [email protected].
Last year more than 100 volunteer toad patrollers from all walks of life headed out on mild evenings between February and April to save toads that were migrating to the ponds where they were born.