NEW TEMPORARY signs have been set up to alert drivers of amphibians crossing the road.

Ten signs have been erected along the A686 road near Langley Castle, in Hexham, to make drivers aware of toads crossing the road to ponds for the migration season.

Northumberland County Council were alerted to the issue by concerned resident, Hayley Watson who asked for the signs to be on the road earlier in the month.

She said: "They’re currently migrating and hundreds are getting squashed every night, so I go out and help them cross the roads.

"The migration starts in March until the end of April with the babies appearing around august.

"It is important to protect them as a common toad is currently “near threatened”, there are also frogs and newts of all species looking for a breeding pond.

"The problem is that we have built roads through their ancestral migration route and they are very loyal to it so do not deviate and therefore get squashed."

Speaking about the signs, a NCC spokesperson adds: "We have received reports for the public on the A686 around the Langley Castle area of toads crossing the carriageway.

"The Council will be placing temporary signs on the verge this week to alert drivers and the public and these will be in place for the next six weeks."

Although pleased with the result of some signs being put up, Pennine Wildlife Rescue in Carrshield think more can be done in the future.

Founders, Tony and JoJo Johnson said: “Signs are a good start but simply won’t be enough to stop those who deliberately drive full speed through the crossings.

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"In order to make it safe temporary fences need to be put up on both sides of the toad that ideally funnel the toads into a safe tunnel passage or volunteers will need to run shifts to collect the assembled toads in a bucket to help them cross

"In dome locations that would also be potentially dangerous if pedestrians were on the road to collect the toads.

"The best solution would be a tunnel crossing and temporary fences to funnel the toads into the tunnel

"Or have buckets dug in along the fence so the frogs and toads fall in and then can be moved to the other side of the road for mating."