Road closed to help mating toads

(Photo P Hurt)

A lakeside road has been temporarily closed to traffic overnight to allow breeding toads to search for love.

The 15-day annual order means they can cross the road in Llandrindod Wells, Powys in the mating season, without the fear of being squashed by motorists.

Last year, about 2,500 toads, 400 newts and a few frogs made it across the stretch under the cover of darkness.

The toad watch scheme in Powys is one of 70 across Wales designed to halt the decline of the amphibian's population.

Powys Council's temporary road closure on the 620m section comes into force on Friday between 2000 and 0600 GMT. It is the second year the local authority has shut the road to vehicles.

In previous years, traffic on the road has meant many dating toads have not reached the other side in one piece.

Radnorshire Wildlife Trust has estimated that the area used to have a population of toads around 10,000 strong, but it said their number had dwindled to about 3,000.

Volunteers from the trust are expected to help carry the hundreds of toads across the road in buckets.

The toad breeding season runs from mid March to early April.