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  you are in: TOADS ON ROADS > FACTS & FIGURES



Toads on Roads

Facts and figures

We ask all Toad Patrols to submit their data at the end of the season. Collecting this information can provide an insight into how toads are faring in the UK.

The toad population at each site varies dramatically - from 100 to 10,000! The ten largest populations we're aware of (this year) are:
           
  Ranking Toad crossing Number of toads
helped in 2011
(Number of toads
helped in 2010)
 
  1 Henley-Marlow, Buckinghamshire 7,785 (10,501)  
  2 Lower Bodham, Norfolk 6,838 (Not recorded)  
  3 Bobbits Lane, Suffolk 6,835 (6,889)  
  4 Bromeswell, Suffolk 2,646 (500)  
  5 West Stow, Suffolk 2,323 (9,053)  
  6 Cockley Cley, Norfolk 2,051 (Not recorded)  
  7 Wickham Skeith, Suffolk 2,013 (Not recorded)  
  8 Furness Vale, Derbyshire 1,976 (2,161)  
  9 Bowden Hall, Derbyshire 1,958 (1,077)  
  10 Charlcombe, Avon 1,841 (3,380)  


Numbers also vary greatly between years:

Year Number of toads helped at
toad crossings
Number of toads killed
at manned toad crossings
2011 67,692 7,739
2010 75,055 8,396
2009 51,151 4,734
2008 48,793 6,194
2007 37,156 4,988


These figures show how much Toad Patrollers are helping toads but, sadly, even at sites where there are active volunteers some toads are still killed by traffic. Imagine what it's like at crossings where there is no one to help or it's too dangerous for them to do so...

It's estimated that 20 tonnes of toads are killed on the UK's roads every year.

Making comparisons between years is tricky as numbers can be influenced by a number of things, such as weather conditions and number of Patrollers available. We're currently working on analysing this data. The table below looks at the average number of toads helped per site over the last five years. Although the numbers do go up and down, they hopefully show what there is not too much of a problem with declines.

Year Number of toads helped at
toad crossings
Number of toad crossing sites returning data Average number of toads helped per site
2011 67,692 99 684
2010 75,055 98 766
2009 51,151 83 616
2008 48,793 95 514
2007 37,156 71 523


Find out more:
O
Find your nearest toad crossing.
O What does Toad Patrolling involve?
O Get involved in the Tuppence a Toad appeal.
O Patroller resources.