A contractor has been fined after bats attacked a nearby tenant as a result of works carried out on a sheltered housing bungalow in Dumfriesshire, Scotland.
The tenant was admitted to hospital with bite wounds after more than 150 bats flew into his home from the roof structure of a neighbouring house, in which they had been trapped. The remaining 150 bats in the roof died of dehydration and starvation.
Ecology experts who examined the property in Lochmaben identified the animals as soprano pipistrelle bats, which are protected under European law.
City Building (Glasgow) was contracted to fit external cladding and PV panels for the property’s landlord, Wheatley Homes South, in summer 2023. Most of the work was outsourced.
Evidence from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) found that the work blocked off the entrance to the bat roost within the roof of the building.
The investigation found that under the agreement for the works, City Building was responsible for reviewing each property to identify the presence of bats. However, it was not done in relation to this property.
City Building was fined £17,000 after pleading guilty to breaching animal conservation laws at Dumfries Sheriff Court this week.
Duty to prevent unlawful disturbance
Iain Batho, who leads on animal welfare for COPFS, said: “It is the responsibility of those involved in construction work to ensure that due diligence is carried out to prevent the unlawful disturbance of protected wildlife or their habitats.
“City Building (Glasgow) failed in their duty to carry out that necessary due diligence which negatively impacted on a sizeable maternity roost and resulted in the death of around 150 bats.
“This impaired the ability of these bats to survive and rear their young during the maternity season and will impact significantly on the soprano pipistrelle bat population in that area.”
